Many basketball players in Israel agree on one thing: the Premier League has weakened • Evidence: After 9 cycles, only 4 teams on a positive balance • And also: When will transparency reach the Referee Union?

• A solution. It's time for transparency

  Photography:

  Alan Shaver

Negative balance league. The basketball people I spoke to recently agree with the statement that the Premier League has weakened significantly this season. Some of the groups were weakened because of low budgets, and some of these happened because of the lack of good faculty building, so some of their improvements are underway.

One of the proofs of this can be found at a glance at the table. After nine cycles, only four groups hold a positive balance, compared to seven on a negative balance and one on an equal balance. Last season, too, only four teams finished on a positive balance. But this season the gaps between the big and small teams (Maccabi Tel Aviv did not lose, and Hapoel Jerusalem only lost to the yellows) are only increasing.

And what happens in the European Senior Leagues? In Spain: out of 18 groups, 7 on a positive balance, 4 on an equal balance and 7 on a negative balance. In Italy: out of 17 groups, 7 on a positive balance, 2 on an equal balance and 8 on a negative balance. In Turkey: out of 16 groups, 7 groups on a positive balance and 9 on a negative balance.

"These figures indicate a major weakening of the league," says a major in the industry. "The two big ones fled to the top, while almost all others, perhaps except for Ness Ziona, have weakened significantly."

Thomas vs. Wilbkin. Big on the league // Photo: Alan Shaver

Headache. A look at the table can cause headaches even for the most devout followers of Israeli basketball. Ironi Nahariya has already played 10 games, 7 teams played 9 times, three teams 8 times, and Hapoel Jerusalem has only taken 7 games.

Even if we let go of the scoring system for a moment - which should be updated and changed - the members of the league administration should make sure that there are not so big differences that make them look bad and sometimes have an unsportsmanlike effect, such as differences in load, sharpness and fitness between teams.

The administration is demanding that the basketball union change the state cup format and suggest that the top eight at the end of the first round go up to the quarterfinals. The problem: The first round will not end until February, and it may even be March. For example, the game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Bash from the 7th round, which was postponed following the Gaza missile attack, will be played after the meeting between the two in the second round. A new date has not yet been set for the game between Jerusalem and Hapoel Holon.

Here, too, we have made comparisons with senior leagues across Europe. All teams in Spain, Greece and Turkey played the same number of games, and only in Italy, where there are a number of odd teams, some played 11 games and some 12.

In Israel, there are constraints that do not exist elsewhere, such as wars, groups that travel to a private playground in the US and a hall problem that also serves other needs of the various municipalities, but nevertheless the Administration is working to improve the situation.

Reviv Lemonade. Except for Ness Ziona, all the teams in the league have weakened // Photo: Bernie Ardov

It's time for transparency. Almost three weeks have passed since the game between Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi in the National Cup, which was decided in the last few seconds after many complaints about the two teams' judgments, and the basketball fans still do not know the conclusions of the Jury professional committee following the events.

In a review we conducted, it became clear that two days after the match, the committee met with the judges' trio of Omar Asaron, my uncles Romano and Erez Gurion. It was found that some of the referees had made some significant errors, but the overall score was good given the difficulty of the game, its importance and the great rivalry between the teams.

Regarding a complaint filed by Maccabi Tel Aviv to an employee Gili Observer (at the time of James Paladin's crucial penalty shoot-out, six of the opposing players were on the parquet), the committee found that although six players should not be found on the field, the case was not considered a mistake. Which did not affect the course of the game and its outcome.

Recently, the union is thinking about how to make the committee's processes more transparent to the public, and there is the possibility that in exceptional cases, such as the game in question, the professional conclusions will be published, like the BBC and other leagues around the world.