The president of Hapoel Tel Aviv, Ofer Yannay, has quickly become one of those figures in the Euroleague who never goes unnoticed. A leader who enjoys speaking his mind in the media and on social media, he’s not afraid to share controversial opinions—far from the traditional club president mold.
Throughout the season, one of his favorite targets has been Real Madrid. With both teams battling for a spot in the Final Four, it seemed strange that Yannay hadn’t taken a shot at the Madrid side. But he couldn’t hold back any longer. Just over two hours after his team won the third game of the quarterfinals—forcing a fourth game and keeping the series alive—Yannay shared a photo on X. The image, taken at the reception of Real Madrid’s hotel in Bulgaria, shows several members of the white team standing with their luggage, seemingly in the process of checking out. According to the Hapoel president, the photo was taken before the game, implying that Madrid was checking out early because they expected to win and wouldn’t need to stay another night. He captioned the photo: “Checking out before the game is not a great idea when you play against Hapoel Tel Aviv.”
Journalist Carlos Sánchez Blas addressed the tweet to clarify the situation: “This from the Hapoel president fits into the need some owners have to make noise. The explanation is simple—it’s happened to us journalists too. In these 2-0 series, if Madrid had won yesterday, they would go directly from the arena to the airport for a private flight back to Madrid. That’s why they bring all their gear. If not, they return to the hotel to play the fourth game. This is common for Euroleague teams at this level. The rest is just folklore.”
This isn’t the first time Ofer Yannay has gestured or spoken against Real Madrid. Last summer, both clubs—along with others—were chasing the signing of Vasilije Micic. The Serbian player was returning from the NBA and seemed to be the biggest acquisition of the season in Europe. Ultimately, he joined Hapoel. “Stealing a player like that from Real Madrid, Fenerbahçe, and Olympiacos is huge. It shows a new player has arrived in the city and is ready to change things. I just hope the Euroleague listens to me and allows me to improve European basketball. There’s a lot of room for growth, and we deserve a strong European league. Does anyone really believe the others offered less? All clubs offered the same. The only difference is that we gave him shares in the team. I believe Vasa is the best player in Europe.”
