Hapoel Tel Aviv Owner Yells at Players After Derby Loss

Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yanai entered the locker room after the team's heavy derby loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Super Cup, delivering a harsh critique to his players. Yanai, who has invested heavily in the team this season, expressed his disappointment with the team's performance and mental state.

Yanai began by stating his hatred for losing but framed losses as learning opportunities, citing previous series against Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv as examples of lessons learned. He mentioned that the loss to Real Madrid taught them the need for a deep roster with two equally skilled starting fives, and the loss to Maccabi showed the importance of naturalized players.

However, the owner's primary anger was directed at the referees, whom he accused of clearly favoring Maccabi. Yanai specifically mentioned his star foreign signings, Amir Coffey, Kadine Carrington, Zach LeDay, and Vasilije Micić, claiming they did not receive fair calls and that the officiating was illogical and unfair. He acknowledged that playing against Maccabi often means facing biased officiating but stressed that this was not an excuse for the team's collapse.

Despite his complaints about the referees, Yanai did not excuse the players' mental breakdown during the game. He issued an ultimatum, demanding that the players display energy and focus regardless of the circumstances. Yanai stated that losing is acceptable if they give their all, but he felt the team lost their heads and their spirit was broken. He concluded by expressing his hope that the players share his hatred for losing and use the pain of the defeat to improve for future games.