Foul play

I am not at all excited by the latest scandal alleging serious crimes to Hapoel Petah Tikva's owners.

We have seen police-generated media spins like this in the past; ones that generally end on an anti-climactic note. We should give the soccer world more credit, even if the suspicions are grave. We're not talking about murder and rape; all this courtroom theater is shameful. One gets the impression that the police climbed up a long ladder. The view from the top is obscured and they can't find a way to climb down. Let's all calm down and await proof.

Despite the fact that I am unimpressed by this scandal, it is definitely a symptom of what ails soccer in this country. There is a general impression that soccer is in the wrong hands: the Football Association chairman, Avi Luzon, inspires antagonism with every managerial decision, appointment and announcement he makes.

Those determining the fate of Israel's number one sport are politicians in sportsman's clothing; small-minded partisan wheeler-dealers who sit on the Football Association and think about everything except improving the level of soccer. As we speak, they are bickering over yet another structural change in the league. In any normal organization, a fighting opposition would emerge and stage a coup, but who can we expect to do this-

The only solution is for professional soccer to break away from this official body and find more serious and professional management. We are currently in the soccer off-season, often referred to as the "cucumber season." Here in Israel, it is the "sour pickle" season.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו