Longtime Maccabi Tel Aviv Fan Sues Club Over Kiosk Eviction and Lost Income

Zion Bales, a devoted fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv football club, has filed a lawsuit against the club after being asked to vacate a kiosk he operated for many years at the club’s training complex in Kiryat Shalom. Bales, described as a simple man who is illiterate, found an abandoned shack on the premises, refurbished it, and ran a snack kiosk that served visitors and provided his modest livelihood. The club, which leases the training grounds from Tel Aviv municipality, allegedly allowed Bales to operate the kiosk for years without objection, creating a de facto agreement.

Bales’s lawsuit, submitted through attorney Shay Elias, claims that the club’s recent move to evict him has severely harmed his income and livelihood. He seeks nearly 500,000 shekels in compensation for lost profits over 25 years, based on tax reports from 2014 to 2020, plus 100,000 shekels for emotional distress and damage to his dignity. The suit argues that Maccabi’s long-standing tolerance and positive consent to his operation of the kiosk confer him certain property rights, despite the absence of a formal employment or rental contract.

Central to the dispute is a 2002 agreement Bales signed, which the club claims authorized the eviction. Bales contends he was misled into signing the document under false pretenses, believing it was related to a team trip abroad, and that his signature was forged on parts of the contract. His son, former player Yossi Bales, and his stepbrother Aryeh Shasha, a prominent businessman and Likud member, support the lawsuit.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s legal counsel, Yael Margalit, acknowledged Bales’s long association with the club and respect for him but rejected the lawsuit’s claims as bad faith attempts to extort money. The club expressed willingness to meet with Bales directly to resolve the matter amicably, emphasizing the door remains open for dialogue without lawyers. The case highlights the complex relationships between sports clubs and their most dedicated fans, especially when informal arrangements evolve into contested legal claims.