Netanyahu’s Lawyer Takes Up Ashdod’s Doping Complaint Against Tiberias

Attorney Amit Hadad, known in Israel for representing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the corruption cases, is now handling a formal complaint for M.S. Ashdod over suspected illegal IV use by players of Ironi Tiberias. Ashdod claims the alleged injections, given close to kickoff, gave Tiberias a physical edge that helped it stay in the top division at Ashdod’s expense.

Hadad told ynet that his ties to club owner Jacky Ben-Zaken go back many years. “I have long-standing relations with Jacky Ben Zaken, whom I love and appreciate,” he said, adding that Ben-Zaken often helps him with charity and with people who are being exploited. Hadad, who was born in Ashkelon, said his connection to Ashdod and even Beitar Jerusalem is natural, and that he has no fixed team, only the one his eight-and-a-half-year-old son currently chooses.

The professional relationship between Hadad and Ben-Zaken began last decade, when Hadad represented him in cases tied to former minister Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer and in an appeal over Ben-Zaken’s conviction in the 2010 stock manipulation affair involving Manofim Finance. The Supreme Court partially accepted the appeal and reduced Ben-Zaken’s prison term from 36 months to 26 months, while keeping an 800,000-shekel fine.

The federation’s investigators and anti-doping officials are now examining a deeper suspicion than a mere technical mishap. At least two people close to the club reportedly said there was an internal dispute over nutritional supplements, and investigators are checking whether players received banned substances followed by heavy IVs to hide traces before possible postmatch tests. If the case reaches a disciplinary hearing, involved players and staff could face a full sports ban of up to four years.

Hadad said he received the information on Friday morning and immediately contacted the Israel Football Association. He praised the federation for acting “from the very first moment” with seriousness, calling it “an extreme and unprecedented case,” and said the striking thing is that the other side is not denying the event outright, only minimizing it. Tiberias rejected the allegations, calling them false and an improper pressure attempt by Ashdod, and said no official complaint had been received; it insisted the treatment was ordinary saline given under medical supervision and compliant with WADA rules, and said it would cooperate with any inquiry.