Netanyahu Skips High-Profile Soccer Match Amid Election Campaign Concerns
Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opted not to attend the Beitar Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer match on Monday, despite earlier expectations. His absence comes amid concerns that the game could be exploited for election propaganda. The Yishai! party had previously warned the Sport Channel against using the broadcast for political campaigning. The League Management had also reminded clubs of the ban on political involvement.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the Beitar Jerusalem vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer match.
- Speculation about Netanyahu's attendance had circulated before the game.
- The Yishai! party warned against using the match broadcast for election propaganda.
- The League Management had previously reminded clubs about the ban on political activity.
- Netanyahu last attended a soccer game in February 2020.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not attend the highly anticipated soccer match between Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv on Monday evening, despite earlier speculation about his potential presence. Netanyahu has not attended a soccer game in several years, with his last public appearance at one being in February 2020, shortly before an election, when he attended a Beitar Jerusalem game with his wife, Sara Netanyahu, alongside politicians Miri Regev and Amir Ohana. He also attended a Beitar match in March 2021, nine days before another election.
Concerns about the game being used for election propaganda were raised by the Yishai! party, led by Gadi Eisenkot. The party sent a warning letter to the CEO of Sport Channel, Tomer Turgeman, demanding that measures be taken to prevent the broadcast and related programming from becoming a platform for election campaigning. This action followed a letter sent by the League Management approximately a week and a half prior to all clubs, reminding them of the prohibition against football clubs engaging in political activity and election propaganda. The League Management emphasized that clubs must "categorically" avoid any involvement in election campaigning, citing examples such as visits by candidates, joint photo opportunities, political figures appearing on the field, and visits to locker rooms.
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