MADRID - About an hour after CSKA Moscow lifted the Euroleague trophy following its victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Sunday's final, a noticeable deterioration could be seen in the relationship between part-owner Raanan Katz and chairman Shimon Mizrahi. In a rare display, it happened out in the open. Katz was giving an interview to a Haaretz reporter when Mizrahi suddenly appeared and attacked him.
"Why are you being interviewed by her?" the chairman asked. "You've already done an interview."
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Katz, shocked that Mizrahi would address him in such a manner, did not answer, and at that point headed for the arena exit. Among those present were part-owner David Federman and board member Shay Recanati, who appeared just as shocked as Katz.
On Monday, Katz discussed the unusual incident with Mizrahi: "What was said in that forum should not have been said."
Was it acceptable to you?
"No. I don't have any official title at Maccabi, I'm the landlord and I don't have any moral obligation to speak or not to speak to journalists; I'm the one who makes the decisions."
How is your relationship with Mizrahi?
"It's fine. Shimon is Shimon. He's a special character; I know how to make it work for me with him. On the other hand, I don't have any boss, I never have and I never will."
Zvika Sherf's future
Boss or not, the disagreements among the team's management are swirling, as is known, not just around Katz's interview schedule but also coach Zvika Sherf's future with the club. As of right now, a decision has not been made whether he will be standing along the sidelines at Yad Eliahu next season.
"We respect and appreciate Zvika," Federman said on the subject, "and beyond that I can't say anything about it. Even if we had won the [Euroleague] title, it's not certain that we would have run to sign him. My opinion is that it's close to certain that should continue."
As opposed to Federman, Katz sounded less cut-and-dry when he was asked about Sherf. "Nothing is going to be done now," he said before he was reprimanded. "All of the decisions and signings will be done at the end of the season."
Have you personally made a decision?
"No, I haven't made any decision."
About Will Bynum, however, Katz is actually full of insight. "He does fantastic things," he said, "but unfortunately he also loses a lot of balls. Sometimes he goes in alone, takes shots and 'boom.' He needs to learn that there are five players on the team, and as the point guard you should manage the game so that everybody plays, not just you alone. If he scored 23 points and the rest gornisht (nothing), then it would be a bigger problem."
How does it feel after the loss? In fact, in the past you said that the Euroleague is more important than the Israel Premier League.
"It's true, I'm very disappointed that we didn't do it. I would've liked to see more 'war,' but what happened happened."
What do you think of how Sherf functioned during the final?
"I don't have any criticism of him; he did not make any mistake. We gave up points that we should not have given up, and on offense we missed shots. Messina has an advantage; he's been coaching the same players for five years."
Are you worried about the national championship?
"I'm worried about everything, even a game against Kibbutz Dafna, but we have all of the tools to win the championship. It depends on the players - if they unite, like they did in the second half against Siena, we'll take the championship. It would be a big disappointment if we didn't win the championship."
Federman, on the other hand, is actually worried: "In one game, anything can happen, and it's definitely possible that the season will end without any titles."
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