Jason Levine Expected to Acquire Stake in Maccabi Tel Aviv from Recanati Family

The Recanati family officially became the majority owners of Maccabi Tel Aviv on Wednesday after acquiring the shares held by the Federman family, now controlling 58 percent of the club. Other shareholders include Richard Deitsch with 17.5 percent, Shimon Mizrahi with 14.5 percent, and Ben Ashkenazi with 10 percent. However, this ownership structure is likely to change soon as businessman Jason Levine has shown interest in purchasing shares from the Recanati family.

Jason Levine, a 53-year-old Jewish-American businessman active in sports for over 20 years, currently serves as CEO and co-owner of the DC United soccer team and chairman of the Brisbane Bullets basketball team in Australia. He has previously been a basketball agent representing players like Omri Casspi and Yotam Halperin, owned the Memphis Grizzlies, and was involved in negotiations to buy Swansea City and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Levine’s ownership style has sometimes sparked fan protests.

Following the Recanati family’s acquisition, Rapyd CEO and owner Eric Steilman tweeted a chess GIF, a move that was not well received by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s management. There has been tension between the club’s current leadership and Steilman, who purchased shares from the Federman family before the Recanati takeover. Notably, exactly one year ago, Rapyd signed a seven-year sponsorship deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv worth approximately $3 million per season. Sources indicate potential developments in the club’s management and ownership dynamics in the near future.