Beitar Jerusalem Slams Maccabi Haifa CEO Over Community Award Controversy

Following Beitar Jerusalem's receipt of the President's Award for community contribution on August 16, the club issued a sharp statement criticizing Maccabi Haifa's CEO, Itzik Ovadia. Beitar Jerusalem accused Ovadia of sending "exceptional and harsh" messages to the award committee after Maccabi Haifa was not selected, describing his behavior as an attempt to intimidate the committee over a special community prize. The statement emphasized the importance of the award, which honors significant community work by football clubs, and expressed surprise that a CEO of such a large club would act in such a manner. Beitar Jerusalem highlighted that the award was well-deserved and also acknowledged the valuable community efforts of Maccabi Haifa and other league teams. This unprecedented public criticism reflects tensions between the clubs following the award announcement.