The Israeli Super League has been shut down by a strike led by Jewish players who want to see restrictions placed on the number of foreign players allowed to suit up for games.Negotiations were ongoing in an effort to resolve the dispute, which has forced postponement of Sunday’s scheduled slate of games, a.k.a. Week 22.
The strike began Wednesday morning over the lack of playing time that local players are receiving compared to the foreign players in the league.
The strike has currently left teams in the Super league, outside of Euroleague giant Maccabi Tel-Aviv, which is preparing for Friday night’s showdown against Olympiacos, holding practices consisting of only American players.
The league has currently postponed the 22ndround of the league, which was set to take place Sunday the 24th, until the players union and the league can come to an agreement on the rules for next season.
Currently, teams have the option to either play with four foreign players in uniform, or to play with up to six foreign players and the “Russian rule,” which requires two Israelis to be on the floor at all times. As of now, only Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Galil Gilboa play with the Russian rule.
The Israeli players are pushing for the rules to be changed for teams to only be allowed three foreigners, or have the Russian rule require three Israelis to be on the floor at all times.
Both sides will meet Friday morning to negotiate the rules for the upcoming season, with the hope of league play resuming as soon as possible. While strikes like these typically occur in the summer, the Israeli players were frustrated with their lack of success negotiating during the offseason in recent years, and felt it was necessary to make their stand with the league closing in on postseason play.
The tentative date for league play to resume will be Thursday March 28th assuming that both sides are able to come to an agreement in the coming days. Teams are set to have regular practice on Friday with most insiders optimistic a deal will be struck quickly enough to prevent any further delay of league games.
Maccabi currently leads the Super League with a record of 18-3.