Chaos continues at Beitar J’lem

The never-ending saga at Beitar Jerusalem took another inexplicable twist on Wednesday, leaving the club’s future shrouded in doubt.

By ALLON SINAI
BEITAR JERUSALEM’S Avi Rikan 370 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
BEITAR JERUSALEM’S Avi Rikan 370
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
The never-ending saga at Beitar Jerusalem took another inexplicable twist on Wednesday, leaving the club’s future shrouded in doubt as the new season edges ever closer.
It was just last week that representatives of owner Arkadi Gaydamak announced that after months of negotiations and misinformation they had reached an agreement with Eli Tabib to purchase the club.
Tabib confirmed the news and it seemed that the official approval of the transaction by the Israel Football Association was all that was missing to complete the deal.
However, Gaydamak stalled on giving his final answer and on Tuesday night he caught everyone by surprise for the countless time during his eight years at Beitar when he announced that he had agreed to sell at least a 50 percent stake in the club to a group of Russian businessmen headed by Tamarlan (Tamir) Majidof.
Majidof was behind Beitar’s bizarre mid-season friendly match versus Terek Grozny in the Chechen capital. He also helped complete the loan deals of Dzhabrail Kadiyev and Zaur Sadayev from Grozny to Jerusalem, which shook the club to its foundation after fans vehemently objected to the signing of the Muslim players.
Majidof, who resides in Chechnya but has Israeli citizenship, is believed to be the front man for a mysterious group of financiers.
”There is a group of very rich Russian businessmen who want to invest in Beitar,” a statement by Gaydamak read.
“Tamir Majdof will head the group which will invest at least $5 million in the club. It would be irresponsible of me to transfer the club to Eli Tabib. Majidof will purchase at least a 50 percent stake and will add more investors that will turn Beitar into a strong team.”
Meanwhile, Tabib announced on Tuesday that he had signed a deal with an organization of Beitar fans that will allow him to seize full control of the club.
The supporters transferred the cash-stricken club NIS 2.1 million they had collected from thousands of fans last summer and in return were given seats on the club’s directorate as well as an option to purchase full control of the franchise.
Gaydamak denies they have a clause in the agreement that allows them to do so and the dispute with Tabib could well only be decided in court.
It remains to be seen how the disagreement will be resolved, but what seems certain is that this will be another summer of discontent for anyone connected with Beitar Jerusalem.