Ofer Yannay Fires Harsh Accusations at Ussishkin Association Following Player Signing
A fresh tension has emerged at Hapoel Tel Aviv. Following the Ussishkin Association's announcement of signing Paul Delaney and its intention to form a team aiming to compete for promotion to the Israeli National League, Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yannay strongly criticised the move. Yannay wrote in a message that the Ussishkin Association announced this plan while, according to him, it is in the process of liquidation and faces financial claims worth tens of millions; claims that have not been examined for over a year and for which no effort has been made to recover these sums. He also claimed that the association recently rejected his "very generous and unusual" offer to cover debts and continue supporting Hapoel's youth department. Yannay said the purpose of the proposal was to ensure the level of Hapoel's youth academy would not fall below that of Maccabi's, but, he alleged, his offer was rejected solely to preserve the political power of certain officials who have brought the association to its current state. Yannay went on to say that over the past year, the Ussishkin Association has lost many talented children, including the children of Hapoel-supporting families who went to train at Maccabi. He also criticised the association's managerial performance. One of the focal points of Yannay's remarks was a dispute over tax payments. He claimed the association has published a narrative suggesting its financial crisis is the result of Yannay's failure to fulfil commitments to pay income tax. However, according to Yannay, an examination at the Israel Tax Authority showed that the money transferred to the association for tax payments did not reach the tax authority. This allegation was not answered by the Ussishkin Association in the source report. Regarding the plan to form a senior team, Yannay said that under an agreement signed with him, the Ussishkin Association is only authorised to operate in the sphere of youth teams. He added that the association is now talking about forming a senior team under the name "Hapoel"—a name he claims the association is forbidden from using—while simultaneously signing an expensive player. He concluded by claiming the association is acting as though there are no creditors, no agreements, and no history of failed financial management, and that officials such as Attorney Uri Gaon and Attorney Liza Hadad played a role in this process. Yannay said: "Next week we will take orderly action to restore order."