Former Maccabi Tel Aviv Player Reveals Losing a Year’s Salary Due to Financial Mismanagement

Yegor Filipenko, a former Maccabi Tel Aviv footballer, opened up about losing substantial sums of money during his career due to financial illiteracy. The Belarusian defender, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv from summer 2016 for one and a half seasons before a loan to M.S. Ashdod, admitted that a full year’s salary from his Israeli contract simply vanished. Filipenko, 38, retired last summer and reflected on the common financial pitfalls athletes face, including risky investments and lending money that was never repaid. He said, "Athletes often encounter financial troubles because of a lack of knowledge. People come and say, ‘Let’s invest and make millions,’ and you jump in without understanding the field."

Filipenko’s career included stints at Malaga and Spartak Moscow before returning to Belarus to play for BATE Borisov. He revealed that he invested in various ventures such as construction and startups but suffered heavy losses, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars. He acknowledged that he used to treat money casually, not focusing on saving or accumulating wealth, but now he is more cautious about financial decisions. During his time at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Filipenko made 33 appearances across all competitions, excluding the Toto Cup.