Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yanai has filed a defamation lawsuit against the leadership of Israel's referees association, seeking NIS 1,170,351. The article says the suit was filed in response to what Yanai's camp describes as an ongoing campaign of smearing and delegitimization against him.
According to the complaint, Yanai is suing Asaf Shalem, the chairman of the referees association, and Moshe Biton, who heads its professional committee. The legal filing was reported on June 17, 2026, at 12:09.
The report says representatives of Hapoel Tel Aviv published a harsh statement of claim against the association's top officials. No further details of the allegations or the response from the referees association were included in the article.
The case concerns the Israeli Premier League refereeing system and is being presented as a major legal escalation between Yanai and the referees' governing bodies.