After Hapoel Tel Aviv’s dramatic defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the playoff final, club owner Ofer Yannay appeared on Channel 5’s “Hamech b’Avir” on Wednesday and explained why he did not shake hands with Iffe Lundberg. He said he greeted most of the people present, but added that after being expelled from the arena in February “for no fault of my own,” he felt no obligation to extend the gesture. “It was a humiliating event, and none of you talked about public shaming,” he said.
Yannay stressed that the decision was intentional, calling it “a calculated move.” He said, “I have nothing against Lundberg. I spoke with him before the game and we joked.”
Reflecting on Hapoel Tel Aviv’s season, Yannay said he was proud both of the team’s European campaign and of what it achieved in Israel. But he argued that the domestic game is not fair. “In Israel we play under unequal conditions,” he said, contrasting basketball with football, which he described as more balanced.
He said Israeli basketball has been stagnant for years and does not draw enough fans because there is no real competition. As an example, he said that when Hapoel chairman Shimon Mizrahi approaches the secretary’s table, nobody reacts, but when he does the same, he is removed. Yannay said he had naively believed Israeli basketball, including its referees, wanted to improve, but now thinks the existing systems have no interest in serving the sport and instead promote personal interests.
