Tiberias Club Claims Sports Federation Is Exaggerating Doping Investigation

The Tiberias football club continues to contest the ongoing investigation by the International Sports Doping Committee. On July 15, 2026, the club released an audio recording allegedly featuring investigator Dean Perger speaking to a Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic. In the recording, Perger suggests making a deal and asks if the paramedic is willing to take a polygraph test to clear himself from the case entirely. He accuses the Sports Federation chairman Shino Zwartz and prosecutor Gilad Bergman of wanting to exaggerate the issue, stating, "If they inflate it, I don't want it on me. If so, I'll take them down for it. I don't want this to get out of proportion, even though we know it's not true." The MDA paramedic responds that he is willing to be tested and indifferent to the consequences. Perger then offers to send him to a location in northern Israel for testing.

Meanwhile, the Sports Federation continues to support investigator Perger and claims that MDA is conducting its own investigation into the paramedic heard in the recording. Prosecutor Gilad Bergman is expected to file charges against the Tiberias club tomorrow, alongside the ongoing inquiry by the Israeli Anti-Doping Agency. The case remains active as the club disputes the allegations and the federation pushes forward with legal action.