| Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court |
| Civil Case 55362-01-26 Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club v. Israel Football Association et al.
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| Before the Honorable Judge Gilad Hess
The plaintiff – Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club Against The defendants – 1. The Israel Football Association 2. Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club The Plaintiff - by Adv. Roy Rosen Defendant 1 – by Adv. Boaz City Defendant 2 – by Adv. Aviel Flint and Adv. Simon Eliav
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Judgment
Background
- On October 19, 2025, a match was scheduled to take place between Hapoel Tel Aviv Football Club, the plaintiff (hereinafter and for the sake of convenience: "Hapoel") and Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club, defendant 2 (hereinafter: "Maccabi", it is clarified that the nickname is for convenience only, and does not constitute an expression of opinion in the dispute between Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Maccabi Haifa fans regarding the use of the name "Maccabi").
The match between Hapoel and Maccabi in the city of Tel Aviv is referred to by soccer fans in Israel as the "Great Derby".
The game is of great importance to the fans of both teams and even has an impact on the position of the teams in the table.
The derby of October 19, 2025 took on an additional significance because it took place after Hapoel's promotion to the Premier League, and after Hapoel had not won a derby game for a very long time, when its fans felt that this derby game would bring the long-awaited change for them.
- However, as the match observer's report shows, videos that were shown to the Football Association's refereeing institutions and the rulings of these refereeing institutions, before the start of the game, flares, fireworks and smoke grenades were lit in the stands of Hapoel fans. Some of these various pyrotechnics devices were even thrown in all directions, including at fans and police officers, as a result of which civilians and police officers were injured.
Against this background, a decision was made not to hold the game, the game was canceled, and the thousands of fans who came to watch the game were dispersed.
- In light of these events, defendant 1, the Israel Football Association (hereinafter: the "Association"), filed a serious indictment against Hapoel Tel Aviv Club on October 20, 2025, i.e. only one day after the game.
On October 22, 2025, the hearing was held in the Disciplinary Court of the Israel Football Association (hereinafter: the "Tribunal").
- On November 3, 2025, the court issued its ruling, in which the court convicted Hapoel of racist chants, failure to fulfill the home team's obligations in accordance with a series of clauses in the championship regulations, and of rioting fans under aggravated circumstances.
In light of the conviction, the worker was sentenced to the following penalties: