Hapoel Tel Aviv have hit pause on the process to remove their basketball CEO, Tzachi Reichenstein, after owner Ofer Yanai decided the club could not go leaderless while its chairman is on a pre-planned vacation, ONE reported.
The disciplinary hearing, which threatened to end Reichenstein's tenure, had been building for weeks after chairman Oren Chason took his seat in the boardroom and clashed with the CEO over how the club should be run, Ynet reported earlier.
With Chason set to be away for around three weeks, Yanai - who controls 56% of the club - concluded that Hapoel Tel Aviv could not operate without either its chairman or its CEO fully in place, according to ONE, and shelved the hearing until Chason is back.
In an email to staff, Yanai stated that all club employees report to Chason during his absence, ONE reported - a message read internally as reinforcing the chairman's authority even while the CEO's own position remains unresolved.
Reichenstein has maintained that under the terms of his contract, only Yanai - not the chairman - holds the power to dismiss him, a dispute over authority that sits at the heart of the rift, according to ONE and Ynet's earlier reporting on the breakdown between the two men.
Chason, who previously chaired the Israel Football Association and ran the country's sports leagues authority, was installed atop Hapoel Tel Aviv's basketball operation only in recent weeks. Sources told Ynet the disagreements between him and Reichenstein were serious enough that the two may simply be unable to keep working together.
For now, the hearing is expected to resume once Chason returns from his break, at which point the club's ownership will move to decide Reichenstein's future. Ynet has separately reported that Tomer Yaron, currently CEO of Hapoel Beersheba/Dimona since 2016, is seen as a possible successor should Reichenstein ultimately be removed.
