Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., April 15, 2008 Nisan 10, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:53 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 12:08 14/04/2008 Beitar J'lem's Gaydamak calls fans 'bastards' as team's title on ice By Matan Krakov, Tomer Retman, and Haaretz Service Tags: Israeli soccer, Gaydamak  B'nei Herziliya became tense after Beitar fans ran on to the field in the 86th minute in order to start celebrating their team's championship victory. The Soccer Associations disciplinary court will ultimately decide the outcome of the game, which Beitar was leading 1:0 (after Edan Tal scored in the 70th minute). The court can rule that Beitar lost or could instruct the teams to hold a rematch. Advertisement Beitar has dominated Israeli soccer's premier league this season, and the championship has been seen as Beitar's for weeks. A victory in the Sunday game would have clinched the title. At the same time, Beitar's traditionally passionate fans have caused controversy on a number of occasions, notably prior to a November game in which they disrupted a moment of silence for slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. The disruption caused the Soccer Association to rule that Beitar, some of whose fans are far-right activists, would play its subsequent match against Israeli Arab team Bnei Sakhnin without a crowd. Gaydamak, waving a huge Beitar flag and cheering, was the only person in the grandstands. "I am the team and I have no intention to sell it. The idiot bastards can leave," Gaydamak told Army Radio Monday. "The fans that went wild yesterday are bastards, and I have no respect for them. While their numbers are in the thousands, they are not the majority." Police Commander Amnon Alkali said Monday that officers avoided blocking the Beitar fans who ran on to the field, because they suspected lives would be harmed. According to Alkali, the police will ask the Soccer Association to discipline Beitar Jerusalem. Beitar will be judged according to Soccer Association regulations regarding "unruly fans." According to these regulations, the game's referee Alon Yefet had complete authority to restart the game, but he explained Sunday in a report that "In the 86th minute of the game, the crowd ran on to the field and we waited over 20 minutes in order to see if we could resume. It became clear that it was impossible to restart the game. From my perspective, the game was over after the 86th minute". Prior to Yefet's decision not to resume the game, Ariel Shayman, Maccabi Herziliya's chairman, ordered his players to leave the field regardless of the referee's ruling, telling them to "get dressed and go home". Bookmark to del.icio.us   Security.com Shin Bet is reaching out to English and Arabic worlds with new web sites. Obama's blunder As Penn. primary approaches, Clinton has latched on to 'values' remarks by Obama.   1.   Beitar fan`s 11:46  |  Gad Ben-Ami 14/04/08   2.   Hooligans 12:33  |  j10 14/04/08   3.   The world is full of bastards, and Gaydamak is a rich bastard 12:37  |  Albert Edelson 14/04/08   4.   It is all Olmerts Fault 13:37  |  Latrina Goldfarb 14/04/08   5.   I understand his feelings... 14:02  |  No monkey myself 14/04/08   6.   Beitar: non-existent without other teams and league 14:52  |  civilized Kid 14/04/08   7.   Anarchic Stupidity 14:56  |  Ulf 14/04/08   8.   y call them bastards when Gadymak wants 2 be their mayor?! 16:52  |  Ami Israel 14/04/08

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