Unless something extraordinary happens, Hili Trooper will soon end his term as Minister of Culture and Sports following the run-up to the election. But even if that happens, the return of the top leagues, despite the extension of the closure in Israel, will be recorded mainly in his name. Alternate Prime Minister Bnei Gantz, Blue and White Ministers, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and Professor Nachman Ash understood that beyond the promise made, the arguments provided by the Minister of Sports and his team were correct.
The outline that exists in Europe, the fact that there are not too many athletes, the fear of harm to the international level and the sporting status of the State of Israel were before the eyes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who decided to authorize Edelstein and Trooper to resolve the issue.
The tactic of the Ministry of Sports was not to bring up the issue for discussion at the cabinet meeting, and so it was. The conversations between the chief of staff of Hili Trooper, Guy Gutman, with Shmuel Frenkel and Erez Kalfon were frequent. The issuance of the letter to the Prime Minister and the continued media pressure through the players and teams helped a lot, as did the understanding of Edelstein’s senior adviser, Shlomi Variat, who is a sports fan and considered the Minister of Health’s confidant.
“At the end of the day, it should be remembered that despite the ministers’ request, they did not deviate from anything other than sports in the top leagues, and that means a lot,” said officials involved in the talks. “This is Trooper’s incredible achievement,” they added. In the early afternoon, the outline will be raised in telephone conversations between government ministers and no opponents are expected. Even if there are some who will oppose, there will still be a majority for a decision.
Also, despite closed statements that he would resign if the professional leagues did not return over the weekend, Kalfon would remain in office and try to march the leagues to their legal conclusion. Unlike the Premier League, which if not renewed would have been more difficult to finish at the right time, in the National League the principal has more maneuvering space and therefore no problems are expected.
