By Mark Baber
June 26 – After the Jerusalem District Court last week approved the transfer of Beitar Jerusalem to Eli Tabib from Arcadi Gaydamak, the take-over of the club now awaits a ruling from the Israeli Football Association (IFA) and its Budget Control Authority before being finalised.
The Budget Control Authority, an organ of the IFA whose role is to supervise the balancing of budgets, and advise on the financial situation of football clubs, will rule on whether the takeover meets IFA regulations, including whether Tabib has served the required year-long cooling down period since giving up his ownership of Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Tabib is expected to take over the club after the collapse of a plan to hand over control to Tamir Medzhidov, an Israeli-based businessman with strong links to Russia’s southern region of Chechnya, who had been instrumental in bringing two Chechens to Beitar in a move opposed by some of Beitar’s fans on religious and racial grounds.
Tabib has agreed to cover Beitar’s debts, estimated at NIS 12.5 million ($4.3 million), for a 75% stake of the club, with the remaining 25% to be held by an organisation of Beitar fans. He is reported to be looking to balance the club’s books within a two year period and appoint his daughter, whose role attracted controversy at Hapoel, to a financial management role.
Tabib sold Hapoel Tel Aviv last year after alienating the fans. With a criminal record over passport forgery, Tabib is currently under indictment from the Tel Aviv district attorney on counts of aggravated assault on a minor, destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice over an incident in which, according to the prosecutor, “a minor was punched and kicked all over his body outside Tabib’s house and either Tabib or someone on his behalf erased all the video footage recorded on his home security camera.”
The Budget Control Authority could authorise the takeover this week.
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