IFA deducts two points from Betar for fans’ racist taunts

Judge rules that Betar hasn’t done enough to stop racist minority.

By ALLON SINAI
Betar Jerusalem 311 (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Betar Jerusalem 311
(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
As if its situation wasn’t bad enough, Betar Jerusalem was deducted two points by the Israel Football Association’s disciplinary court on Wednesday for its fans’ racist abuse of Hapoel Tel Aviv striker Toto Tamuz during a Premier League match between the teams last week.
The disciplinary court decided to activate the suspended sentence it handed the club in April of last year for the racist chants shouted by its fans at Hapoel Tel Aviv midfielder Salim Toama after it had come to the conclusion that Betar hadn’t done enough to prevent the calls last week.
Betar chairman Itzik Kornfein asked Judge David Lev to avoid activating the suspended sentence as the club has been making an effort to eradicate the racist element of its supporters.
Kornfein also claimed that there is a group of around 200 supporters who would like to see the team get relegated and are therefore intentionally looking to harm it.
However, Lev said that Betar hadn’t done enough to stop the racist minority and handed the club’s hopes of Premier League survival another blow.
Betar, which was also given a NIS 30,000 fine, was outraged with the decision.
“We don’t understand the court’s decision,” Betar said.
“We can’t believe the court has taken such a decision and punished a club which has put the fight against racism at the top of its priority list.
“Betar will act against the fans that are trying to hurt the team and will file civil lawsuits against anyone who harms the club.”
The two-point deduction leaves Betar in 14th place in the standings, but sees it drop to 15 points, two back of 13th-placed Hapoel Haifa and the same as Hapoel Rishon Lezion.
Betar, which dropped into the relegation zone for the first time this season following Sunday’s 3-0 humbling loss at Hapoel Haifa, hosts Maccabi Netanya on Saturday, looking to end its eight-match winless streak.