Erik Stilleman files complaint against Sport 5 over Maccabi Tel Aviv conflict

The battle for Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball continues. Erik Stilleman, founder and CEO of Rapid — the club's main sponsor, has been engaged in an intense struggle against the Recanati family since they acquired ownership of the team and pushed him out.

According to Stilleman, the Sport 5 channel, part of the RGE group owned by the Recanati family, has been attacking him on air without properly disclosing the conflict of interest between the channel's owners and the club.

The battle for Maccabi Tel Aviv — latest developments:

• Erik Stilleman's secret investor revealed: The billionaire set to join Maccabi Tel Aviv.

• $150 million: The battle for control of Maccabi Tel Aviv reaches its peak.

• The Recanati family sells control to a surprising businessman.

In a series of posts on X, Stilleman stated: "Hello to Shai and Udi Recanati and also to Sport 5. I have just filed an official complaint with the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and the Competition Commissioner — expect a hit."

The complaint follows a broadcast in which it was said: "The sponsor continues to bark, sling mud and demand money."

Stilleman detailed his grievances: "No proper disclosure was given to viewers that the Recanati family, which has material interests in the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club, is also the controlling owner of Sport 5. This is material information that any reasonable viewer is entitled to know, especially when a discussion is broadcast that directly concerns an entity in which the channel's owners have a personal and economic interest."

He added: "Apparently, the broadcast platform was used to promote the private interests of the channel's owners instead of maintaining independent, balanced, and objective journalistic coverage. During the broadcast, offensive and crude statements were made against me. I was not given any opportunity to respond to the claims, which violates fundamental principles of journalistic fairness and the right of reply."

According to Stilleman, this is not an isolated incident: "For a long time, the door has been closed to me to present my position to the viewers of Sport 5, which is the most influential sports media outlet in Israel. This conduct significantly harms public trust in journalistic independence."

In his complaint, Stilleman asks the Council to examine whether the provisions of the law, license conditions, or ethical rules applicable to Sport 5 were violated, and whether a broadcast resource was used to promote private interests. A copy of the complaint has also been forwarded to the Competition Authority to investigate potential misuse of a media asset.