The American model, according to which the new Hapoel Tel Aviv is going to be run starting this summer, is expected to arouse quite a bit of antagonism in Israeli football. The apparent anti-index will probably include the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem, other rival teams, but not only. Absolutely not only. True, for the time being, much is hidden over the open when it comes to the new purchase group, but what we already know is visible Like an extreme struggle against too many entrenched habits in the less successful parts of the league. Or in a language that is more suitable for today: a rebellion. A real rebellion against Tabivism, which is still one of the fashions that dominate our league.
This is already a good enough reason to keep your fingers crossed for the success of the experiment, regardless of how you feel about Hapoel Tel Aviv. Furthermore, the ownership group led by David Mintzberg offers Israeli football a relatively sane model for managing a local club, an achievable model that can suit a number of other teams in Israel. For our previous episode with owners from the Americas, starring Mitch Goldhar, the red version does not require anyone with a lot of money, with a deep pocket and a lack of interest in profits. No more Gaidamak from Canada which is often a miracle, but a management method that other groups in Israel can recognize as a future match Management groups that may, one day, provide some kind of answer to the lack of serious owners in Israeli football, an industry that still depends on figures like Yoav Katz, Barak Abramov or Jackie Ben Zaken.
The phenomenon in which foreign businessmen are involved in too many groups on the European continent is not a dream we should fulfill ourselves, but we, in little Israel, will not fix the distorted reality. The fact that there are some who are looking to adapt this model to Israel is something that should not be overlooked. The same people who make up the new ownership of Hapoel Tel Aviv have decided to give our local football a chance. It is very likely that not only Hapoel Tel Aviv is about to be tested for them, but the entire Israeli football market, and if this surprise test passes successfully, they will be able to open up to our industry New and unconventional economic horizons.
We won’t stop. It is hard not to notice the holes in the emerging structure. The promotion of the analyst Chen Sol, for example, to the position of head of the football department seems like a classic joke about Americans and Israelis not speaking a common language, but who knows: maybe it really is a promotion, and Sol is perfectly capable of turning from a shadowy figure into the senior professional figure from Israel at the club.
Furthermore, even in the red version of foreign ownership in Israel, the problem of remote control management and the lack of a dominant figure to manage the business from here is evident. Maybe a dominant coach will close this gap, or maybe not. But with or without a connection, it’s hard not to admire people who think that the avenue of management in our football should be staffed with respectable and wealthy status of people, as Mintzberg implied in his press conference. The farthest from the Tabivism that saves money in these places and concentrates the power around one or two people for the most part, with people who get to their position first through a trusted servant and only after that according to their level of suitability.
The official announcement of the first line of appointments of the new acquisition group included a focus on two other things: scouting and perfecting the training methods – two concepts foreign to Tabivism. According to him, scouting is mainly the imprint of a person with sharp senses and absolute control over the players who are ejected from the big teams, and foreign consultants for training methods are usually a bone in the throat of Israeli coaches and the owners who manage them from afar. If the new science with which the bosses in red come knows how to fish the reality that exists in Israeli football; If these scouting companies discover the nobles on duty who reached Rishon LeZion or the new Zahavi who somehow plays in Ramat Hasharon – our need, not to say addiction, for the dubious characters who are now looking for them, will diminish. Less instincts, more thought. Less gambling, more sense.
It is hard not to assume that David Mintzberg’s work plan is to improve the product called Hapoel Tel Aviv and sell it at a profit in the not too distant future. How much money will this bring him and what is the business interest of the shareholders – this is a fascinating question, but it is not certain that we will be interested in the future. If the work plan This one will be successful, from the scouting company to the future sale – Israeli football will benefit before everyone else. It will benefit from a new idea, a different approach and a horizon for many, many clubs who go to sleep in the league with Barak Abramov, but get wet at night for fear of another Moshe Hogga.
