Hapoel Tel Aviv Owner Demands Fan Group Cease Using Club Name and Logo

Ofer Yanai, the owner of the Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball club, has sent a legal notice to the Hapoel Ussishkin fan association, demanding they immediately stop using the club's name and logo. Yanai's lawyers claim that under a 2023 agreement transferring club operations, all rights to the senior team's activities, including its name, symbol, and reputation, were transferred to the company 'Red Management Sal'. The notice cites an incident during a recent game where the name 'Hapoel Tel Aviv' appeared on the scoreboard and players wore jerseys with the club's symbol, omitting the 'Uri' designation (named after Uri Shelef, a founder of Hapoel Ussishkin). Yanai's legal team asserts this constitutes an unlawful use of the club's rights, potentially misleading the public and harming its reputation and sponsorship revenue. The demand extends to the possibility of Hapoel Uri, the team currently operated by the fan association in the National League, being promoted to the Premier League. Because the association holds 19% of Hapoel Tel Aviv's shares, Israeli Basketball Association regulations reportedly prohibit it from simultaneously being involved with two teams competing in leagues under the budget control authority. The fan association has been given three days to declare it will cease using the Hapoel Tel Aviv name and symbol, and to commit that Hapoel Uri will not be promoted, providing a corresponding commitment to the Basketball Association. Alternatively, the association can relinquish its shares in the company.