Shimon Mimon, the deputy chairman of the Israel Football Association, has taken his feud with Hapoel Lod owner Ofir Regev to court, filing a defamation suit that seeks 320,000 shekels in damages, ONE reports.
Mimon, a longtime federation board member who has also overseen its women's football portfolio, has separately lodged a criminal complaint at the Bat Yam police station, according to the report.
The dispute centres on a string of social media posts in which Regev accused Mimon of taking bribes - cash allegedly handed over at a shopping mall in Rehovot - in exchange for altering federation regulations. ONE reports the lawsuit covers three separate posts.
Mimon flatly denies the accusations. His statement of claim, cited by ONE, describes Regev's campaign as carried out "with clear intent and extreme bad faith," which Mimon calls a deliberate effort to damage his reputation and standing within the federation.
Beyond monetary damages, the suit demands that Regev remove the posts and publish "a detailed and unequivocal public retraction and apology" on the same platforms where the claims were made.
Regev is showing no sign of backing down. ONE reports he has hired a private investigator to trail Mimon and says he has gathered evidence over roughly a week and a half that he intends to pass on to the authorities.
It is not the only legal trouble swirling around Regev this month. Days earlier, ONE reported that a restraining order was issued against him after he allegedly sent threatening messages to Ohad Cohen, a sports lawyer representing creditors owed money by Hapoel Lod - debts currently blocking the club from registering for the 2026/27 season.
Regev took over as Hapoel Lod owner from his late father, Beni Regev, the club's storied former chairman who led it to a State Cup and top-flight football in the 1980s; the municipal stadium in Lod was renamed in his honour after his death.
No court date has yet been set, and the allegations on both sides remain unproven. The federation has not commented publicly on a dispute involving one of its own senior officials.
