The conflict between the Sports Channel and Maccabi Tel Aviv:
a black (or green) cat passed between the soccer team and the Sports Channel.
The roots of the conflict are convoluted, but recently things flared up and blew up in the viewers face.
In short: the fans' organization leaked a private conversation with the channel's reporter, from which it appears that he invited fans to demonstrate against the club at a closed event of the sponsor, according to them, in order to produce an item about the demonstration.
The journalist responded with a tort claim against the fans.
As a result, the group announced a boycott "in light of ongoing hostility, and biased and biased coverage that produces hatred and incitement towards Maccabi."
Yesterday, after a league loss broadcast on Sport 5, the Maccabi players refused to be interviewed by the channel.
The coach of the team and the players will not come tonight for the televised interview at the end of the game.
In recent days, Maccabi Tel Aviv wrote to the management and the sports channel after a serious incident that crossed every red line in the conduct of the media body and the reporter on its behalf covering the club.
Until now, the channel's response to the group's appeal to him has not been received, pic.twitter.com/YFTDIUANs8
— Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (@MaccabiTLVFC) February 13, 2023
These are some of the consequences of a reality where it is clear to everyone that the media has an interest in heating up the area so that it has something to report on.
The phenomenon is common not only in sports, but also in political, economic or security coverage.
In all the shows there are people who start fires.
Meanwhile, in the shadow of the confiscation, yesterday Ron Koffman defined the team in the "Press Stand" as "a pile of players with a past, no present and no future", Eli Ohana stated that it was a "crazy financial failure" and poisonous arrows were stuck in the belly of the management and the coach.
Maccabi Tel Aviv does not live up to expectations this season and does not deserve positive coverage.
The fact that it boycotts media outlets without evidence of intentional harassment suggests that it is trying to force positive coverage.
On the other hand, it is known that the sports channel pulls out knives too quickly.
They haven't finished burning Maccabi yet, and the panel members demanded an apology from Koffman because a month ago he killed the coach of Netanya, who has only won since then.
The knives penetrate deep.
For years, the sports channel has been in the sights of fans.
Those of Hapoel Tel Aviv, for example, this week blew up an interview with a basketball player from their team because they made noise and cursed the channel on air, and in the past they waged an active struggle that included disrupting broadcasts.
Maccabi Haifa fans also once had complaints, and there are other fan groups with baggage.
There is no limit to the mud that is poured here.
Shouting, populism, shallowness, promoting cronies, dealing with violence, dirt and racism.
What is broadcast seeps into the stands.
Israeli football is a neighborhood.
A tangle of interests, combinations and conflicts.
Sport 5 is doing good things for the industry, but there are spots that are hard to hide.
When fans insist that personal sympathy and hidden or open connections influence the coverage - it is easy to agree that the phenomenon is widespread in every field.
Interests always speak.
In the house of cards of Israeli football - the media is the one that holds the cards.
She has a responsibility.
If she's spewing slime, then don't come complaining to the fans.
To fix our broken sports culture, it is imperative to start with the body that transmits it.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
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