While for the rest of the league teams, the court of the Football Association already deducted points due to the fan riot, today (Tuesday), the judges decided not to apply the conditional punishment that was imposed on Maccabi Haifa.
Despite the fan riot, fans bursting onto the field and the lighting of the flares in the Champions League game, the court did not apply the conditional punishment of deducting 2 points that was applied to the club against the team from the Carmel.
The judges explained that the punishment was not applied because according to them the riot was not under "aggravating circumstances", as was ruled in the suspended sentence.
"We do not find it necessary to to apply the suspended sentence"
The judges wrote in the verdict: "Due to the doubt, we are only left with convicting the accused of fan disturbances (not in severe circumstances) and invading the field by fans. As for the penalty, the conditional penalty of point deduction was imposed on the accused within the framework of conviction for fan disturbances 'in severe circumstances,' and as mentioned in our case, the clause of the conviction does not include 'severe circumstances.' Therefore, we do not find it necessary to impose the conditional penalty."
The judges added and even commended Maccabi Haifa: "We also take into account the accused's merit in the fact that their preparation led to the apprehension of some of the fans involved in committing the offenses. Taking all of these into consideration, we impose a financial penalty of 60,000 NIS on the accused."
The fans are angry: Beitar Jerusalem had points deducted while Maccabi Haifa received only a fine
It is noted that Beitar Jerusalem will start the season with a deduction of 4 points, following a punishment imposed by the Football Association's disciplinary committee, after its fans rioted during the State Cup final. Now, the team's supporters, as well as fans of other teams, have posted angry messages on social media networks, claiming selective enforcement due to the absence of sanctions against Maccabi Haifa, like other teams.
