Supreme Sports Tribunal Overturns Ruling, Awards Hapoel Tel Aviv Technical Victory

Double Dribble, Episode 55 / Walla! Editorial Team

Hapoel Tel Aviv can clinch a place in the playoff final tonight (Thursday, 20:50). The Supreme Tribunal of the Basketball Association today overturned the ruling issued by the judges two days ago and awarded the Reds a technical win in Game 1 against Hapoel Jerusalem. The judges determined that once the disciplinary tribunal had assigned sole responsibility for the stoppage of the game to Hapoel Jerusalem, convicted it, and imposed its penalty, it should have declared a technical loss in accordance with the regulations.

Jerusalem’s claim that the association’s prosecutor was barred from filing an appeal was also rejected, and it was determined that he acted properly when he clarified the regulations during the first hearing. The decision stated: "The outcome of the game was not determined by this court. The outcome of the game was determined by Jerusalem, which chose to ignore the decisions of the game officials and take the law into its own hands. It was not the green table that decided, but rather the abandonment of the court."

Itudis is trying to understand why the game was stopped. Now he leads 0:2 / Dani Maron

Enter the guessing game, take part in the quiz, and you may win a זוגית package for the World Cup quarterfinals. As recalled, in a surprising decision and contrary to the position of the Basketball Association prosecutor and the league administration, the judges ruled that a replay would be held from the start, even though the game was stopped at the end of the third quarter, with Hapoel Tel Aviv leading Hapoel Jerusalem 67:77, following a demand from Home Front Command and the security forces due to fears of a missile launch from Iran. However, only one team returned to the court, Hapoel Tel Aviv, and the game was not resumed at all.

Following the decision to order a replay, Hapoel Tel Aviv, the Basketball Association, and the league administration filed an appeal to the Supreme Tribunal. They argued that once responsibility for the stoppage was placed on Hapoel Jerusalem, the regulations required a technical loss and not an order for a replay. Hapoel Tel Aviv was furious and even threatened not to show up for Game 2 of the series, which was held that same evening the judges’ decision was handed down at the arena in Jerusalem. In the end, they arrived in the capital as usual, won 84:88, and are now leading the series 0:2 following the decision to award them a technical victory.