Maccabi Petah Tikva Demands Large Compensation from Kiryat Gat for Paz Shipman Transfer

Maccabi Kiryat Gat, newly promoted to Israel's National League, is embroiled in a legal dispute with Maccabi Petah Tikva over the transfer of 20-year-old forward Paz Shipman. Although Shipman signed with Kiryat Gat after being released by Petah Tikva in April 2026, he is currently barred from playing due to a compensation demand from his former club. Petah Tikva initially asked for 100,000 shekels in development fees, later reducing it to 70,000 shekels, but then officially raised the claim to 180,000 shekels in a formal complaint to the Players' Status Committee. Shipman, who spent the past two seasons on loan to National League teams Kafr Qasim and Maccabi Herzliya, says he was told he was free to leave and now faces unemployment. His lawyer, Amir Cohen, accused Petah Tikva of abusing young players by imposing unreasonable compensation demands and restricting their freedom to work. The dispute continues as Kiryat Gat seeks to finalize its squad after a 2-0 season-opening win against Akko.