Tiberias Football Club Owner Arrested in Financial Probe

By מאיר תורג'מן, שמעון אלבז

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

CenterNeutral tone

Hebrew · 4 newsrooms covering

The owner of Hapoel Tiberias football club, Arie Kalmanzon, and the club's financial officer, Yael Bar, were arrested on suspicion of serious financial offenses and double contracts. Kalmanzon's arrest was extended by five days, and Bar's by four days, as police investigate alleged fraud and money laundering totaling tens of millions of shekels. The investigation involves multiple authorities and is expected to involve questioning hundreds of players.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Hapoel Tiberias owner Arie Kalmanzon's arrest was extended by five days amid a financial probe.
Club's financial officer Yael Bar also arrested, with her detention extended by four days.
Suspicions include fraud, money laundering, and double contracts totaling tens of millions of shekels.
The investigation is a joint effort involving the police, Tax Authority, and National Insurance Institute.
Hundreds of football players are expected to be summoned for questioning.
Kalmanzon's attorney claims he was a passive investor uninvolved in financial dealings.

Tiberias Football Club Owner Arrested in Financial Probe — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The owner of the Hapoel Tiberias football club, Arie Kalmanzon, had his arrest extended by five days as part of a widening investigation into alleged financial offenses and double contracts within the club. Kalmanzon was arrested along with several other club officials, including the financial officer Yael Bar, by the Lahav 433 fraud squad of the Israel Police. The investigation, which has been ongoing secretly for months, is being conducted in cooperation with the Football Association, the Tax Authority, the National Insurance Institute, and the Registrar of Associations.

Police stated that Bar is suspected of fraud, false registration, forgery, money laundering, and violations of tax and labor laws, with the scope of the offenses estimated at tens of millions of shekels over the past four seasons. The police requested an eight-day extension for her arrest, citing concerns she might tamper with the investigation. During the hearing, a police representative, Superintendent Meretz Peretz Boganim, described Bar as the "perpetrator" who processed contracts for budgetary approval, asserting that she was central to the offenses and that numerous witnesses identified her as executing double contracts.

Kalmanzon's attorney, Yechiel Tsipori, argued that his client was a passive investor who did not handle the club's financial activities and that the Football Association's own prior investigation found no connection to double contracts. However, Boganim stated that Kalmanzon is suspected of attempting to obstruct the investigation and that there are suspicions of similar offenses in other companies he owns.

Judge Menachem Mizrahi extended Bar's arrest by four days and Kalmanzon's by five days. The police representative also indicated that hundreds of football players would be summoned for questioning as part of the probe.