New details of how Ironi Tiberias' banned-infusions scandal actually began have emerged from a leaked interrogation transcript, in which head coach Eliran Chudda tells investigator Din Prager that it was club official Michael "Miki" Bitan who first raised the idea.
"Miki spoke with me and said the players looked exhausted, that we needed to think of a legal recovery solution," Chudda is quoted as saying by ONE. "The idea came up to do infusions."
According to the transcript, the conversation followed Tiberias' 1-1 draw away to Hapoel Haifa on April 29, a result that left the club satisfied but, in Chudda's account, physically drained.
Chudda says technical director Chen Sol then told him fitness coach Shlomi had already checked the plan with the team doctor and secured a green light. "We spoke with Shlomi, there's authorization," Chudda quotes Sol as saying.
The coach told the investigator he pushed back on where it should happen. "I suggested to Chen that, for the sake of good order, we do it at the hospital," Chudda said. He claims Sol replied that this was not workable and that it would have to be done inside the training complex instead, with a paramedic named Yossi brought in.
Roughly six players ultimately went through with the infusions voluntarily, Chudda said: "Whoever felt the need went and did it - six players in total." He named forward Stanislav Bilanski and Eli Bililti among those who declined to take part.
The episode is at the heart of one of Israeli football's most serious integrity cases this year. It surfaced after M.S. Ashdod complained to the Football Association on June 21, alleging Tiberias players had received more than 100cc of intravenous fluid before a playoff-stage match, in breach of the National Anti-Doping Authority's rules.
On July 5 the anti-doping authority temporarily suspended Chudda along with five players - David Kaltins, Guy Hadida, Niv Gotlieb, Yonatan Tafer and a teammate identified in reports as Sambinia - plus technical director Chen Sol and fitness coach Shlomi Vaderro.
The authority has since filed formal charges against six Tiberias staff members: Chudda, Sol, Bitan, team manager Gabriel Cohen, staff member Aviv Jibli and Vaderro. Prosecutors are reportedly seeking sanctions ranging from six-year suspensions to lifetime bans for those involved.
Ironi Tiberias has strenuously denied wrongdoing, insisting the players received only a standard, legally purchased saline solution within permitted volumes and under professional supervision. The club has gone further, accusing lead investigator Din Prager of bias and threatening legal action against him, while alleging - without naming specifics - that rival Premier League clubs have used similar recovery methods without facing the same scrutiny.
The case now moves toward a hearing before the sports anti-doping tribunal, chaired by Dr. Isser Berger, with the club able to request an expedited process. For now, Chudda's own account - as relayed by ONE - stands as the clearest description yet of how the infusions program inside the club actually started.
