Singer Hanan Ben Ari wrote the song "Except for Soccer" which many in Israel connect with the moving lyrics "You're still excited by the sea, nothing excites me - except for soccer".
It's almost as if he wrote the song for respected 29-year-old soccer referee Niv Shteif, who was severely injured in combat after an anti-tank missile hit him during his reserve duty. Now, eight and a half months after his devatstaing injury, Shteif will return to the Premier League.
Since his injury, Shteif has received tremendous support from all of Israel, especially from his family and the Referees Association. Now, after a long rehabilitation, he has also received the news he's been waiting for, with only a few hours of training remaining. It seems he is expected to return as early as the third round of the league, initially as a VAR assistant and then as the main VAR referee.
Shteif, who lost his hand and was severely injured in his back, has undergone eight surgeries since the severe injury, but nothing stopped him on the road to recovery. Now it seems he's on his way to fulfilling his dream and returning to work in the place he loves most in the world - the soccer field.
In addition, Shteif has another goal: to stand on his feet again, not only for his work as a soccer referee but also to fulfill another dream in April– when he will stand under the chuppah with his fiancée Nitzan.
A few months ago, Shteif moved everyone again when he sent a message before the start of the match between Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv, "Hi to all the friends at Bloomfield and all the referees at home, I want to wish you all the best of luck today. And to everyone else, thank you for your concern and blessings. See you at the meetings."
* Channel 14 contributed to this article.
