Hapoel Petah Tikva Faces Soccer Association Court Over Illegal Player
Translated & summarized from Sport5 by baba
Hapoel Petah Tikva officials and player Roy Levi will appear in soccer court Wednesday over an illegal player in a 1-1 draw against Maccabi Netanya. The club will cite international precedents and argue against a technical loss. Player Roy Levi claims he missed his substitution signal, while manager Eliran Bernstein says he alerted officials to too many players on the field. The team is also preparing for a match against Beitar Jerusalem, with squad decisions pending.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Hapoel Petah Tikva officials and player Roy Levi face soccer court Wednesday over illegal player.
- The club will cite international precedents to contest a potential technical loss penalty.
- Roy Levi claims he missed the signal for his substitution.
- Manager Eliran Bernstein alleges he informed officials of 12 players on the field.
- Referee Gal Leibovitz may testify remotely via Zoom.
- Hapoel Petah Tikva cannot sign new players without budget increases or January releases.
Hapoel Petah Tikva CEO Tim Plotkin, team manager Eliran Bernstein, and player Roy Levi are scheduled to appear before the Football Association's court on Wednesday. The appearance stems from an indictment against the club concerning the illegal participation of a player in their 1-1 draw against Maccabi Netanya. The club plans to present precedents from various leagues worldwide where teams were not penalized with a technical loss for similar infractions.
During the hearing, Roy Levi is expected to testify that he did not see the signal indicating his substitution. Concurrently, Bernstein will argue that he informed the fourth official, Yigal Fried, about there being 12 players on the field before Maor Levi scored a penalty, but claims Fried did not consider it significant. Referee Gal Leibovitz, who is returning from a tournament abroad, has also been requested to attend, with the option to join via Zoom.
On the professional front, Hapoel Petah Tikva is preparing for their upcoming match against Beitar Jerusalem. Rui David will be absent, while Hamido Keita is fit to start, though it remains uncertain whether he or Assante will be chosen. Roy Levi might be moved to right-back, and coach Omer Peretz will decide on Thursday whether to deploy a three-man defense.
The club has stated they cannot sign free agents unless players are released in January, or if a solution is found to increase the budget.
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