Yanai’s adviser says Hapoel Tel Aviv fans remain the league’s most connected

Ronen Tzur, adviser to businessman Ofer Yanai, said in an interview on Sport 5’s “5 in the Air” that there is no real break between Yanai and Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters, even though some fans are not currently coming to games. He said the club is facing a wider decline in basketball attendance, not a problem unique to Hapoel Tel Aviv.

On the timing of the remarks, Tzur said one of the main goals is to bring the crowd back. Asked whether the fans can be reconnected with Hapoel Tel Aviv, he said the issue should be viewed as part of a broader trend in the sport. “There is no detachment and no disconnect,” he said, adding that “there can be disagreements, and that is natural.”

Tzur also pushed back against the idea of a confrontation between Yanai and the club’s supporters. He said the Hapoel crowd is “the most connected to the team in the league,” and argued that problems in the stands are visible across Israeli basketball, not only at Hapoel Tel Aviv. “Is it only Hapoel Tel Aviv? Is it the only team? It is in all the teams,” he said.

He compared basketball with football, saying football shows better crowd engagement and greater transparency, especially in the referees’ association. Tzur said basketball should adopt the positive elements of football, while stressing that Yanai is acting out of a love of the game. He also said that in the legal complaint against him, “Ofer is suffering harassment for no reason.”