On the way to a revolution in Israeli football?
Collective punishment has become commonplace in the industry, but there are those who want to put an end to it, namely the chairman of the association, Shino Zoertz, and the chairman of the leagues' management, Erez Kalfon.
Today (Wednesday) the two participated in a panel held at the Faculty of Law of the College of Management.
The panel was designed to summarize, discuss and present the report of the committee to examine the reform of the ways of fighting riots in the football fields headed by Professor Miguel Deutsch.
Zoertz:
"Says outright - the cases are rare, if any, in which collective punishment can be justified. And if anyone has any doubts, it is not only football that is meant.
"I am proud of the legal system of the Football Association, I am full of respect for the judges, who, beyond their excellence in the field of law, also excel in their love for the game. And I admit that the problem is the tools that we, the legislative authority, have given to those who function as the judicial authority. And I am only talking about football at the moment. For too long we've been frozen in our tracks, insisting on acting almost automatically. For too long, we've felt justified, like we're the only ones fighting to keep the game free of violence and racism.
I declare here my intention to lead within a short period of time together with my friends and colleagues to the management of the football association an amendment of a temporary order for the continuation of the 2022/2023 season that will freeze the collective punishment.
This position was part of my platform in the elections for the presidency of the association that took place less than a month ago and I now wish to turn the thought into reality."
It is clear to me that this move alone will not be enough.
It is clear to me that there are those who will see him as defeatist in the face of the rising violence.
Well, there are moments in life, and this sounds strange for someone who is at the head of the football industry, when I am not looking for victory.
I am asking for a partnership.
I would like to join forces with the overwhelming majority of fans, with the clubs that are willing to do even more to fight against exceptions, with the legal system of the State of Israel, with the Ministry of Sports and its head, with the Israel Police, with everyone who believes that it is possible otherwise."
The Chairman of the Football Association, Shino Zoertz, Photo: The Football Association in Israel
Kalfon added:
"From here - a new path must be taken, and the most important statement reflected in the committee's report and which is a key condition for any change is the cessation of punishing the audience through radius penalties and games without an audience.
Read my lips, I can't be more clear: today we issue a red card for collective punishment!
I will return to the obvious - fans and fans of Israeli football, their families and children, are the oxygen of Israeli football, they are the branch on which Israeli football sits, they are the future and the present of Israeli football and 'the reason why we gathered'.
I am sure that the end of collective punishment is the first step on the way to better and more exciting football, with more fans and fans, families and children, traditional and secular, from all religions and from all corners of society and I thank all the parties who took part in this revolution.
I hereby call on all the bodies that make up Israeli football to act to cancel the collective punishment immediately."
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