 After a narrow escape in the 1996–97 season, in which they finished one place and one point above the relegation zone, Maccabi were relegated to Liga Alef (then the third tier) at the end of the 1997–98 season, in which they won only one match and gained eight points throughout the entire season.Due to league restructuring, at the end of the following season, they dropped into the fourth tier.In 2000–01 Maccabi won the South Division of Liga Alef and were promoted back to Liga Artzit.