Soccer-Haifa coach Levy to leave club at end of season

JERUSALEM, March 9 (Reuters) - Maccabi Haifa coach Ronny Levy will leave the club at the end of the current campaign after five seasons in charge, a Haifa club spokesman said on Sunday.

Levy, 41, a former defender and Haifa youth coach, took charge of the Premier League side in 2003 and led them to three consecutive league titles. They have faded in the past two seasons, mainly eclipsed by big-spending Beitar Jerusalem.

"Ronny Levy today asked club president Yaakov Shahar to leave the club immediately but Shahar persuaded him to stay on until the end of the season," club spokesman Roy Daniel told the club's Web Site (maccabi-haifafc.walla.co.il).

Haifa lie fifth in the 12-team Premier League, 19 points behind leaders Beitar and following a string of mediocre performances and poor results their qualification for next season's UEFA Cup appears in doubt.

Last season Levy led the club past the UEFA Cup group stages and also oversaw two Toto cup (league cup) wins in 2006 and this season.

(Writing by Ori Lewis; Editing by Padraic Halpin)