Hapoel Petah Tikva Fights Technical Loss for Playing with 12 Men

Hapoel Petah Tikva is preparing to contest a potential technical loss after playing with 12 players on the field for a short period during their 1-1 draw against Maccabi Netanya. The club intends to appeal to the Football Association's disciplinary tribunal, arguing that the error was not solely their responsibility. A senior club official stated, "If they rule a technical loss against us, they should close down football here." The team's defense strategy will reportedly include precedents from major leagues and clubs. In April 2022, Bayern Munich was not penalized for having 12 players on the field against Freiburg, with responsibility placed on the referees. Similarly, in February 2025, Fortuna Sittard played with 12 men for 25 seconds in a Dutch league match, but the Football Association decided the extra player did not influence the outcome. Within Hapoel Petah Tikva, there is also anger directed at the players who failed to leave the field promptly during substitution processes, leading to the team being a man down on two separate occasions. Coach Omer Peretz plans to enforce penalties for future occurrences. The club also expressed frustration over a red card issued to Yuval Shfongin, who they claim did not leave the technical area. On the field, Arik Billa, Or Israelov, and Alex Musonda were noted for their performances, while Roid David scored his first goal of the season. Hamido Keita is expected to increase his training intensity and be fit for the upcoming match against Bnei Sakhnin.