Beitar Jerusalem Criticizes Maccabi Haifa CEO Over Community Award Controversy

Beitar Jerusalem sharply criticized Maccabi Haifa and its CEO, Itzik Ovadia, following the awarding of the President of Israel's Award in Sports to Beitar Jerusalem for the first time. The award, given for the 11th consecutive year, honors significant contributions to community and society through sports. Beitar Jerusalem accused Ovadia of struggling to accept the committee's decision and attempting to intimidate the award process by sending harsh messages to committee members. The club called Ovadia "a very small CEO" for trying to undermine a special community contribution award, emphasizing that the prize was well deserved and also acknowledged the community efforts of Maccabi Haifa and other league teams.

Maccabi Haifa has not responded to the accusations. However, the club's president, Yaakov Shahar, was honored at the same ceremony with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to Maccabi Haifa and Israeli sports. The dispute highlights tensions between the two rival clubs amid recognition for community work in Israeli football.