Premier League teams move very carefully on the fine line between professional success and economic decline • The reason: precisely the law designed to protect the Israeli basketball player • So how do you solve it, and can it happen already in the current game season?
Gabe York vs. Scotty Wilbkin.
Problem with solution
Photography:
Alan Shiver
1 Hapoel Holon, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Bnei Herzliya and Maccabi Haifa have five foreigners on the roster, of whom only four are registered in each game. Hapoel BS and Nes Ziona have also done so earlier this season.
And of course there are Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem that share five foreigners at a time. Some of the other league teams are also seriously considering keeping five foreigners and each time leaving one of them out of the squad.
The reasons for this are varied.
First, at any moment in the Corona era a player or two can be infected with the virus and leave their team in trouble for a few weeks.
Also, due to the postponement of the season opener and the break that was forced during it, the load is greater and the teams often play twice a week, which can lead to injuries and fatigue of the players, certainly those who are not used to it.
Above all hovers the fact that this season there will be two relegations to the National League, which puts a lot of pressure on at least half of the league, and raises the importance of every game and game.
"We don't want a player to get injured or, God forbid, get infected with Corona, and suddenly we find ourselves playing a few games with only three foreigners. That could be critical," said a professional at one of the teams.
It should also be remembered that due to the situation in the world there is a significant difficulty in bringing foreign players to Israel, and clubs know that even if they want to bring a new foreigner following the injury of one of the players on the staff - it can take several weeks to land someone here.
Notice what happens to Maccabi Tel Aviv, which has been unable to bring TJ Klein to Israel for more than a week and a half, who holds Israeli citizenship and is stuck in Italy due to the fact that no flight was found for him.
The teams are also willing to deal with the difficulty involved in keeping five foreigners.
Each time someone else will not play, so care must be taken not to develop resentment in the locker room.
Such a situation could lead to departures, in which case the teams will have to deal with a situation of only three foreigners on the roster, and of course with the need to bring in replacements.
2 So why, in fact, do the teams not take advantage of the possibility that exists in the administrative regulations to register five foreigners in each game?
The reason is, of course, economic.
According to the administration's rules, which are intended to promote the status of the Israeli player, a team that participates five foreigners in one game will be required to pay a fine of NIS 350,000, and will also lose a grant of NIS 250,000 to a team of four foreigners.
This is a loss of 600,000 shekels - a high amount even in ordinary years, and certainly in the corona era.
Even a team like Hapoel Holon, which has a nice budget, can not cope with such a large financial loss, which is why it currently prefers not to register five foreigners.
3 During the season, several teams tried to contact the administration to cancel the fine or at least reduce it due to the difficult financial situation they are facing, but the answer received from the administration is that they do not change the rules in the middle of the season.
In addition, the foreign restriction clause is enshrined in the administration's agreement with the players' organization, and approval from the organization is required to change it.
Moreover, the fact that the board has not convened for a long time due to the Corona guidelines makes it even more difficult to make the decision to make such a significant change in the middle of the game season.
4 conversations with various factors in the industry indicate that towards the next season there will be an attempt to change certain rules to make it easier for the clubs the day after.
On the topic: a reduction in fines for bringing in new citizens and the registration of five foreigners, a request from the basketball association for a further reduction in the payment of the various fees as given this year and more.
"Everyone will have to mobilize to help the teams recover from the difficult situation we have found ourselves in," concludes one of those sources.