Hapoel Tel Aviv owner Ofer Yannay confronts referees midgame amid player-safety concerns

Ofer Yannay Hapoel Tel Aviv arbitri
Ofer Yannay Hapoel Tel Aviv arbitri

A tense second-quarter moment vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva saw Ofer Yannay step onto the court to address officiating and physical play

An unusual scene unfolded in Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv’s game against Hapoel Be’er Sheva when owner Ofer Yannay walked onto the court mid–second quarter to confront the referees, with the contest already turning increasingly physical.

With Hapoel Tel Aviv trailing at the time, frustration grew on the bench and in the stands, and Yannay later framed his reaction around player safety. “Three of our players Chris Jones, Tomer Ginat, and Bar Timor lost a tooth. We respect Be’er Sheva and Rami Hadar, but this cannot happen. I do not want my players to get injured,” he said, per Sport5.

Hapoel Tel Aviv regrouped despite the heated moment and secured a 112-108 win, led by Antonio Blakeney with 27 points and Johnathan Motley with 23. Be’er Sheva had four 20-point scorers: Cody Demps, Damian Dunn, C.J. Elleby and Yoav Vitlem.

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