The Handball Association had to announce today (Thursday) with great disappointment to the Winner League teams that the game round scheduled for tomorrow – will be postponed to Monday. This is even before the government’s decision to extend the closure over the weekend, after no messages were sent about the intention of the sports and health ministries to exclude the senior handball leagues, as was done in football and basketball.
In this situation, and the desire of the teams to know whether to prepare and hold a concluding training before a game, it was decided to postpone (this after such training was postponed at the last minute in the last two weeks). Also, the fact that Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ness Ziona were revealed during the day verified players for Corona. As a result, the other players were required to perform corona tests according to the outline to return to activity and answers were not expected before tomorrow – meaning both teams’ games were postponed.
As for the High Court filed by the Handball Association, the preliminary response to the petition on behalf of the state, which was supposed to be filed as early as Monday, was forwarded only today on behalf of the respondents – the Ministries of Culture and Sports and Health, the Ministers in charge and the Attorney General. The decision of the petition court has not been given so far, and a hearing has not yet been scheduled. The Handball Association’s legal adviser, Adv. Roi Rosen, who received the response during the day, called it “inappropriate, forced and full of excuses and explanations that have never been discussed in any forum and are completely different from the explanatory notes to the regulations.”
It should be noted that the Handball Association expresses great disappointment at the conduct of the government ministries, and especially of the Ministry of Sports which apart from the discrimination in the decision to return only the football and basketball leagues. Over the past few weeks, the need for immediate rehearsal has been explained in order not to hurt the readiness of selected Israeli players, who are expecting crucial international missions next month. Also, the difficulty of meeting the schedules for the end of the season on time (also due to selected Israeli holidays – which are also planned in March, and during April and the end of May), and of course the registration dates for European plants.
“Instead of deviating from the senior handball leagues as they did with football and basketball, they continue to treat handball and other sports as the stepson. “And do not make an early decision to allow a return to the games this weekend,” the union said.