Offense within extension Israel today

Unclear

Moshe Hogg, owner of Betar Jerusalem, is the latest in a string of criminal activity related to Israeli football. According to sources close to the case, Hogg is expected to spend the next ten years in Israel. If the case moves to the United States, he is expected to spend more time in prison. And what will happen to Betar? She will move on to the next capricious owner, something she specializes in over the years with names like Arkady Gaydamak or Goma Aguiar.

Distress and love for football

Dr. Alon Afek from the Ono Academic Campus, who previously worked with football teams, tries to explain the connection between the criminal world and Israeli football: "This is of course not a unique phenomenon for us, but present all over the world and on a larger scale. The background from which the players and sometimes also the owners come is similar - poverty, distress and an encounter with big money, which translates into a love of the game. Equally we can see the attraction of the criminal world to oriental music. At the end these are the same circles with the same codes, so no wonder they are drawn to each other. Although the codes used in Israeli football are light years away from those used in the business world, sometimes they are implemented by the same people who deal with both worlds. "

Self-goal

Earlier this week, a young footballer belonging to a senior club in the center of the country was arrested and also plays for the Israeli youth team, on suspicion of committing sexual offenses on a 13.5-year-old minor in a boarding school in the Shefela area. The young man, one of the rising stars in Israeli football, who is considered a promise for his team and the national team, will continue to spend time in detention this coming weekend. That is, just five months after winning a three-year contract with the senior team he plays for.

Screaming Sounds

The Eyal Golan affair, known as "board games", is also connected to the world of football. At the beginning of last week, complaints were filed against three past players in Israeli football: one is known and familiar with the law, the other is a past footballer who has had a mediocre career, while the third is a senior figure in a large club from the center of the country. The blow fell on him like thunder on a clear day. Today he is a family man who is not part of the famous "Photomobil" group of the famous singer, but socialized with her about a decade ago. In his immediate vicinity, it is hoped that the mountain will give birth to a mouse, and that the complaints will end without any guilt after the latter is questioned by the Israel Police.

When the urine rises to the head of

Attorney General (retired) Yitzhak Gatnio, a former investigative officer who has handled cases related to sports and illegal gambling, explains: "Criminals are looking for figures of players who gamble and owe a lot of money, or weak character. "In the past, they did not care about social norms. Today the situation is a little better, the group itself needs to take care of their education, they go to schools, maintain their education. They need to be taught morality and ethics." Gatnio claims that the Israeli footballer's encounter with delinquency is almost inevitable in many cases: "If he is not taught that strength is a weakness, he falls."

The laundry

Since returning from the Corona, all of world football has been in constant confrontation with criminal elements who have deepened their grip on teams, especially when it comes to money laundering through them. In middle-class leagues in Europe, many teams that have suffered economic blows have found themselves as a tool for criminal organizations around the world. According to sources in Israeli football, there are several teams in the various leagues that serve exactly the same purpose. The Israel Police could not name a single case known to them, despite the many rumors in the industry.

Age and exercise

Just a year ago, the case against Maccabi Tel Aviv footballers Omar Atzili and Dor Micha was closed.

The two were suspected of offenses of consensual illegitimate husband, after suspicion arose that they had met 15-year-old young women at the party and had sex with them.

The two claimed innocence and said they had been misled as to the true age of the young women, and the court ruled that the case should be closed on innocence.

Atzili moved to play for Maccabi Haifa, while Dor Micha plays for Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Micha recently announced that he is suing Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Suspicions only

Barak Abramov, owner of Bnei Yehuda, was arrested in July 2018 and placed under house arrest.

The suspicions against him dealt with the issue of tenders for operating buffets at Teddy Stadium, the Arena in Jerusalem and the safari.

Earlier this month, the prosecution announced that no indictment would be filed against him for the fraud and money laundering offenses for which he was suspected.

In addition, the seized property was returned to him.

The always strong man

Jackie Ben Zaken, the strong man in Ashdod sports and whose life project is the MS Ashdod Premier League team, is the only owner in the Premier League - until he celebrates - who has already served a sentence in prison.

Following his conviction for eight offenses of fraudulently affecting securities, conspiracy to commit a crime and receiving anything fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, he was sentenced (after the appeal) to 26 months of actual imprisonment, of which he ran 16 months of imprisonment until his release.

Ben Zaken returned to his permanent place behind the benches in Lot XI in Ashdod.

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