Prosecutor Agrees to Plea Deal to Reduce Suspensions After Cup Final Brawl

Gilad Bergman, the prosecutor for the Israel Football Association, has agreed to a plea deal that will reduce the suspensions of players involved in the brawl during the State Cup final between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The deal, which still requires approval from the association's disciplinary court, was reached after negotiations with the teams' lawyers to avoid harsher penalties that the tribunal was expected to impose on active participants in the fight.

Under the terms of the plea bargain, each club will see a reduction in the number of actual suspension games, with only one player from each team receiving a suspension longer than four matches. The players facing the most severe punishments are Samir Prahod, Christian Blitz, and Kerwin Andrade. Meanwhile, Tyrese Asante and Mohammad Kanaan will not receive any actual suspensions. Additionally, Maccabi Tel Aviv's team manager, Yoav Ziv, will also benefit from a reduced penalty.

Bergman requested an extension to finalize the plea deal, which he plans to complete and submit for court approval today. This move aims to bring closure to the disciplinary proceedings that began in May following the violent incident in the cup final.

The agreement reflects a significant softening compared to the original charges and is intended to resolve the case swiftly while still imposing meaningful sanctions on those involved.