Football at the 1961 Maccabiah Games was held in several stadiums in Israel starting on 30 August.
The competition was open for men's teams only. Teams from 6 countries participated. For the first time since the establishment of Israel, the hosts didn't win the tournament, as Israel lost in the medals group to the team from United Kingdom, who went on to win the title.England's Footballers Surprised by Beating Israel 2:1 Davar, 5 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press England Won the Football Tournament Ma'ariv, 7 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press
As part of the closing ceremony, an exhibition match was played between Israel and Juventus FC, which resulted with a 3–3 draw.Israel – Juventus 3:3 Herut, 6 September 1961, Historical Jewish Press
Format The six teams were divided into two groups, each team playing the others once. The top two qualified for the medals group, while the bottom two played for the 6th-7th places.
Results First round Group A Team211032321015222011151
30 August 19614–01Maccabi Ground, Netanya31 August 19611–1Hapoel Ground, Jerusalem1 September 19612–1Maccabi Ground, Hadera
1. The match between South Africa and Brazil was abandoned at the 80th minute, due to a brawl between the players.A Brawl at the Football Tournament Davar, 31 August 1961, Historical Jewish Press
Group B Team110041211001022002150
30 August 19614–1Maccabi Ground, Netanya31 August 19611–0Maccabi Ground, Petah Tikva1 September 19611Maccabi Ground, Rehovot
1. The match between United Kingdom and Switzerland was postponed as the pitch at Rehovot wasn't fit for matches. As both teams already qualified for the semi-finals, the re-arranged match was played as a semi-final match.
Final round 5th-6th places group Team11002021001020
4 September 19612–0Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv
Medals group Team3300102632018343102810230034160
3 September 19616–1Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa9–2Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, Haifa4 September 19611–2Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv7–2Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv6 September 19612–0w/o
References