He usually likes to be behind the scenes, not to stand out, and although Bnei Herzliya last season is mostly identified with the professional manager, Zofar Abdia, she has the mythological chairman Eldad Akunis, and the owner Lenny Recanati, who has owned the team since 1997, when before Served as a sponsor of the club from the Sharon.
Although he is not one of the noisy owners, he is involved and knows everything that happens to the new trophy holder, especially through the chairman Akunis who is a man of his faith in the system. Recanati, 68, is identified with Recanati Winery which he founded in 2000 He is involved in, among other things, real estate, plastic recycling, technology, when one of the companies in which he is invested, among others, Alkami, began trading on the Canadian stock exchange this year.
After winning the state cup, Recanati agreed to talk about everything in an exclusive interview with ONE: about the quiet ownership, his relationship with Abdia, how Israeli basketball should be run, what happened to teams that put money without planning, why Herzliya does not yet have a new hall, who is to blame, and what His expectations of the Herzliya municipality. Recanati Breaking the Silence.
Lenny, after all these years, you can finally smile with winning the trophy, and you did it impressively.
“First of all, it’s a great happiness. An amazing experience, overall we have an amazing season, meanwhile the best we’ve had in a very many years. The last few years have been tough, we went down, up, we almost went down last year. You start each season with expectations and intentions etc. , And has not connected with us in recent years. “
There was some time in the last few years that you even wanted to say thank you very much and leave.
(Laughs) “Not really, you know, I say every year ‘Enough, enough, how many years can you mess with it’. Every season I say it’s one last season and after that it goes on. Despite the less good seasons, in some ways the last few years have been a success we have managed to bring a lot of crowd. Even when we were relegated and in the national league a lot of crowd came relative to Herzliya. “An audience that will come. In the game against Ness Ziona, several hundred fans came, things they had not read before. Only 5-6 years ago, an audience barely came and the final reached 3,000-4,000 Herzliya fans, which is amazing, I did not expect it, it’s fun.”
As a quiet owner, you brought Zofi Avdia, the opposite – noisy, colorful, etc. How was your connection with him to the role?
“Professionals they have to set the tone. I’m mostly in touch with Eldad, I know what’s going on, he consults with me, we talk a lot. On the field the professionals, the coach, the professional manager, Eldad, and of course the players do the work. I do not think I should To be at the forefront, to stand out, I do not think it’s my job. I stand behind the club in every way, behind the people who work and run it and do an amazing job overall. Abdia is a welcome addition to the system, he has experience, he has knowledge and I think it proves itself. He is valued at the club, and it is his combination with Eldad’s. “
Are you in touch with Abdia?
“No, I’m mostly talking to Eldad.”
When determining a coach are you involved?
“Eldad talks to me, tells me thoughts on how to build the team, even on players who want to sign. I give my feedback, thoughts. All in all after so many years in basketball you learn something. I express my opinion and always make decisions together.”
After yesterday, is there a dream of winning a double this season?
(Laughs) “If I say no, I’ll lie to you. We are currently first in the league, so of course in terms of potential there is a descriptive possibility to do so. We defeated all the big teams, Maccabi, Jerusalem, also Holon and Hapoel Tel Aviv. We defeated all the top teams so shows we can. Until the championship there is a long way to go, five league games, a playoff, a lot of things can go wrong, injuries, corona, luck, a lot of elements. If that happens, it’s just amazing. “
You can then really leave at the peak.
“So I’ll start fantasizing, we’ll be in Europe, how to build a good team, how to keep most of the staff, it will not be easy. Let’s go step by step.”
Do you have tens or maybe hundreds of foreign players in the club, Onoako is the best foreigner to date?
“Certainly among the good ones, there were a lot of good ones we had. James, Nylon, Hudson, great players who were here, PJ Tucker, Thompson… he really gave some amazing games, what he did in the final was amazing.”
When you saw him throw the penalty shots in the form of a grandma shot for the first time, you did not ask ‘what did you bring me’?
“I knew in advance, I saw a video of him before he arrived, what does it matter how he throws? The main thing that came in.”
Do you think Maccabi Tel Aviv will try to kidnap him?
“I hope not” (continues with a laugh, JL), “I know some people there (Udi Recanati, Lenny’s cousin, JL), I will talk to them. He is definitely good enough to play in the Euroleague teams. “
Basconia offered you great compensation for it during the season and you did not release it.
“No Comment”.
What sets Herzliya apart from the season, that from a team that struggled to stay in the league, you have become a good team that everyone praises for you?
“It’s made up of a lot of layers. There’s an excellent coach before, maybe with less experience in the Premier League, but he was a player with a lot of experience in basketball. We brought in players who connect with each other, cheering. “A puzzle that connected, not a collection of individuals. Maccabi has no less good players, but the fact that it did not connect. In our budget compared to that of Maccabi, there is a small difference.”
NIS 6.5 million compared to almost NIS 100 million.
“I do not know what Maccabi is, I know what ours is. Team sports are not just money. It is built of industrial quiet, a good atmosphere in the club, people, a team manager and the whole team, a homely atmosphere for the players, fun to play in this club.”
Your cousin, Udi, among the Maccabi owners, what is their problem that led them to this collapse?
“I do not know, looking at the people of Herzliya. It is not my job to give grades and comment on other groups. They are experienced and smart enough to analyze and solve the problem. I believe they will solve it.”
We will not see you coming to Maccabi Tel Aviv?
“No, no, not at all, I am from Herzliya. Or from Herzliya or nothing.”
What will happen to your hall, the hall where you play today, not worthy of the team that holds the trophy and leads the league?
“We deserve it, we need a new hall. It is not suitable for a team in the Premier League to play in and Bnei Herzliya in particular. We were supposed to build a new hall already. Toto has budgets, the mayor really wants and is willing to give resources for that. Before Miri Regev But when she arrived, it plugged everything in like a lot of other things, it stopped. The sports minister now has a desire to advance the issue, hopefully it will happen. It’s important for basketball, for the city, for the club. Basketball should be a viewing experience, “Easy, easy access. We had quite a few games that could have had more crowds and it did not happen because of the limitations.”
Shame they haven’t taken care of it to this day?
“True, I agree with you, really a pity. It can give tremendous momentum to basketball in this city.”
When were you promised that you could inaugurate a new hall?
“I do not know, trying to promote through the Ministry of Sports, we hope we get a green light and decide on it. Promise we will be a top priority.”
Shmuel Frenkel will end his position as chairman at the end of the year, who do you think should replace him in the position?
“He did an amazing job, increased budgets for teams, the league has improved, very competitive, brings in a lot of spectators. One of the goals is to produce players for the team.”
“I have said before, management in the format of an incorrect manager. The league should be run with a commissioner like in the NBA, someone or a few people whose goal is just the good of the league and basketball. Will not be affiliated with groups. Today the board consists of chairmen or representatives of groups, each according to his needs and interests, not necessarily of the rule. Unhealthy structure, although there are a number of public representatives, it is not enough. There are lightness, coalitions, that is not true in my opinion. “
Are you preparing Herzliya for a day when you will not be behind the team?
“Someone needs to come in my place, support him, take responsibility for him. I said many times that I would be happy for someone to join me. I did not see people standing in line. Maybe if we win a double people will come. So far they have not come.”
Why do you hardly speak, say what he thinks?
“We need to talk about the pitch, not the media.”
You know, if the team continues to be successful, it will have to increase its budget to keep players, play in Europe, and so on.
“That’s what they tell me. We saw owners who invested huge sums, never held water, came for a year, two years, three, at the end they say ‘this is madness’, so we have to do everything measured and considered, build something over time. If we are in Europe we want to keep The staff will have to increase the budget. I hope the municipality also fired, it is very helpful, the mayor is very accommodating and for us, also the deputy mayor. This is not my private group, but the city’s, it’s not a business. “From the Herzliya municipality. We all got fired and more sponsors and supporters will come.”