Group led by Haim Ramon takes over Hap TA

Hapoel Tel Aviv fans can finally dream of a brighter future after a group headed by former member of Knesset Haim Ramon purchased the club from Eli Tabib on Wednesday, bringing to an end one of the rockiest periods in team history.

The Ramon group will pay Tabib NIS 12 million over the next year, with a further five million to be transferred to the former owner in the following five years.

Any debts from Tabib’s time as boss, which are estimated to be in the millions, will be deducted from the amount agreed.

“As of today, Hapoel Tel Aviv is owned by a group I head and the club is embarking on a new course,” said Ramon, who served as a member of Knesset between 1983 and 2009 and announced on Tuesday that he intends to found a new centrist political party.

“The club has suffered in the past two years from disputes between its owners and that hurt the team. I believe that had matters been normal Hapoel could have won the championship in each of the past two seasons.”

Ramon refused to reveal who belongs to the group he represents, but insisted that once the payments to Tabib are completed the names of those providing the funding will be made public.

Ramon claimed that all those involved are fans, including new chairman Professor Moshe Bar-Niv and CEO Amir Lubin, who returns to the position he held before Tabib seized control.

According to Ramon’s plan, every Hapoel fan will eventually have an option to purchase small stakes of the club, with the intention of 50 percent ultimately being owned by supporters.

“We want to rebuild the club after the difficult period it has been through,” Ramon said.

“The fans are the most important part of the club and the team’s strength this season will depend on the income from the sale of season tickets. We will be able to strengthen the squad if we see that we are selling many season tickets.”

Wednesday’s development is especially good news for coach Nitzan Shirazi, who can finally begin the team’s preparations for the coming campaign.

“Until now I haven’t enjoyed one day of quiet at Hapoel,” said Shirazi, who replaced Dror Kashtan as coach in January.

“Our initial goal will be to hold on to our current squad and eventually bring in a couple of new players. That will allow us to compete for all the titles the way Hapoel aspires to every season.”