Deduct points, don't punish us all
Games without an audience not only harm the industry and the spectators, they may also cause the small employees of the club to lose their jobs.
Ofir Sa'ar explains through the case of Hapoel Tel Aviv why it is better to avoid such a punitive way and go in other directions
Ofir Saar
10/28/2022
Friday, October 28, 2022, 4:00 p.m
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Summary: Maccabi Tel Aviv - Hapoel Tel Aviv 0:3 (Sport1)
This Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the Football Association will hear the appeal of Hapoel Tel Aviv following the punishment it received in the derby, which mainly consists of three games without an audience.
The court is bound somewhere in its range of possibilities, it has no control over the work of the police and the courts, therefore it makes decisions only at the level of the club and the audience.
And yet, games without an audience are something that should not be included in these options.
A game without an audience is a huge damage, much greater than punishing fans, it affects the broadcasting franchisee, the viewers at home, the opponent and the opponent's audience, and especially the desire to watch football, the cause for which we all gathered.
Play in front of empty stands?
Damage in so many ways.
Hapoel Tel Aviv players in the derby (Photo: Kobi Eliyahu)
Three games without an audience, including one against Beitar Jerusalem, are first of all financially significant for Hapoel Tel Aviv and cause damage of approximately NIS 1.5 million. There are three teams in Israeli football that this amount will not particularly affect - Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Beer Seven. Beyond that, every other club in the league that receives such a penalty will make an order in the budget, which may cost many job holders in their positions.
If we refer to Hapoel Tel Aviv, after a new order is made, as long as there is one, Sharon and Itzik Nisanov will not be harmed. They will continue to live in the neighborhoods their prestige, but they will demand cuts and scratch their heads wondering where they will pay the next salaries. The ones who will pay the price are the small workers, those who earn 5-10 thousand shekels. Some will be fired, others will have their jobs cut, people who have been waiting for raises or small upgrades in conditions will no longer see it This year, the whole club goes into emergency mode under a terrible atmosphere.
When you build a budget, you do it with an array of employees and an organized payroll.
Such decisions of the court, long before the audience and the owners, hurt first of all the small employees of the club.
When the punishment was given, the workers at Hapoel Tel Aviv immediately said, "Wow, now the cuts will start," and expressed everyone's feelings and concerns.
At the end of the day, for a club that survives on its own revenue alone, a penalty equivalent to 7 figures in financial damages is an earthquake.
These are not only the employees, of course.
The broadcast franchisee loses a lot of viewers, who quickly abandon a game without an audience (full disclosure - Walla! is under joint ownership with the Charlton team, the franchisee of the Premier League games), the opponent's fans are prevented from coming and watching their team, the players themselves suffer without the atmosphere and atmosphere they are waiting for All week.
So many victims, first of all the industry itself and everyone who takes part in it.
This is not a proper punishment.
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Eyal Segal and Almog Cohen will also host without the Shabbat crowd (Photo: Liron Moldovan)
Before the court's decision, there was also talk of the possibility of points being deducted for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
There are those who recommend letting the teams choose between points and a financial penalty, but that would not be fair to the teams with the big money.
At least in the first round of the season, a penalty of dropping a point or two is unlikely to be the one to decide a team's season.
This is professional damage that the club will have to deal with, but it will not harm so many surrounding factors and at the same time will do an injustice to the brand and the attractiveness of the game.
This is the direction the court should go in serious cases - a reduction of points that the club will have to deal with, but a punishment that will not harm so many other factors.
And by the way, this does not mean that the punishment should be limited to that - radius games with the audience can be part of it.
The important part of the punishment is not to cause harm and injustice to so many parties that do not deserve it.
sport
Israeli soccer
Super League
Tags
Hapoel Tel Aviv
