Tiberias FC Outraged by VAR and Referee Decisions in Loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv

Ironi Tiberias left Bloomfield Stadium frustrated after a 1-0 loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv on Saturday, citing both their performance and questionable refereeing. Club officials acknowledged the team was not good enough, especially against a Hapoel side playing with ten men, and should have shown more initiative.

Tiberias goalkeeper Ido Sharon vehemently denied fouling Hapoel's Koko during the play that led to the decisive penalty. Sharon insisted Koko began to fall before any contact, questioning why VAR did not intervene. The club also contested a disallowed goal, claiming the ball had crossed the line and should have been reviewed by VAR, noting the game wasn't even stopped for a check.

Following the match, Tiberias officials stated that the VAR's failure to act was unacceptable and demanded the audio recording of the referee's communication with the video officials. The team has accumulated only one point after seven rounds, compounded by a six-point deduction at the season's start, and is struggling to stay in the league.

While Tiberias has completed a difficult stretch of games against top teams, their upcoming matches against Maccabi Netanya and Bnei Sakhnin are not expected to be easier. The club emphasized the urgent need to secure points to avoid falling too far behind.

Separately, negotiations continue regarding player Sambinha, with a low chance of him passing budget control unless a creative solution is found. If unresolved, Sambinha may seek to terminate his contract through arbitration, which would significantly harm the team professionally, as they cannot sign new players in January.