Bnei Reineh Owner Faces Six-Month Ban for Referee Insults

Saïd Basoul, the owner of the Israeli football club Bnei Reineh, is expected to be suspended for six months following an indictment filed by the Football Association prosecutor, Galad Bergman. The charges stem from Basoul's alleged verbal abuse of referee Niv Ard during a match between Rishon LeZion and Bnei Reineh on October 26, 2023. According to the referee's report, after Rishon LeZion scored an equalizer, Basoul approached the fourth official and later confronted the main referee near the officials' locker room. Basoul reportedly shouted insults at Ard, calling him "zero," "a plant," "a disgrace," and "an idiot," accusing the officials of learning at their expense. This incident is particularly serious because Basoul has a suspended six-month ban from a previous offense last year, where his team played against Bnei Sakhnin. At that time, the prosecutor had sought a one-year ban, but the tribunal imposed a six-game suspension with the added condition of a six-month ban for any future offenses involving referee abuse. It appears unlikely that the tribunal will have discretion to avoid enforcing the suspended ban this time.