The coach, a foreign national in his 50s living in Israel, was released under restrictive conditions after questioning at the Lev Tel Aviv police station.
A foreign coach in Israel’s top soccer division was questioned by police on Sunday on suspicion of allegedly sexually harassing a taxi driver in Tel Aviv, police said.
The suspect, a man in his 50s who is a foreign national living in Israel, was summoned for questioning after a complaint was filed over the weekend, police said.
According to police, officers opened an initial inquiry after receiving the complaint, questioned the suspect on Sunday morning, and released him at the end of the questioning under restrictive conditions. The investigation is ongoing.
Israeli media identified the suspect only as a senior foreign coach employed by a top division soccer club. His name has not been cleared for publication.
According to reports, the complaint was filed by a taxi driver who alleged that the coach made sexual remarks toward her during a ride in Tel Aviv last week. Several outlets reported that the incident took place late Thursday night or overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, after the coach had allegedly left a bar or nightlife venue in central Tel Aviv.
The driver alleged that the coach was drunk during the short ride, made repeated comments of a sexual nature, and left the taxi without paying, according to reports.
Mako published what it said was the driver’s account to police, in which she said the ride lasted roughly six minutes and that the coach asked to be driven to his home in north Tel Aviv. She alleged that during the ride he made sexual propositions and comments toward her, and that when he got out of the taxi he did not pay the fare, which she estimated at around NIS 50.
Suspect denies memory of incident
The coach denied having any memory of the incident, according to several reports. KAN reported that he told investigators he did not remember what had happened, while Mako reported that he said he had been drinking and that the incident may have been “a big misunderstanding.” Sport5, citing N12, reported that the coach said after questioning, “I don’t believe I said or did this. I don’t remember. I drank a lot.”
Ynet reported that the restrictive conditions included an order distancing the coach from the complainant, and that police intend to hold a confrontation between the coach and the driver. Mako also reported that police were expected to confront the parties because the case currently hinges largely on the competing accounts, and that investigators were checking whether the taxi had an active dashboard camera.
The coach’s club has not yet publicly announced a decision regarding his employment. However, multiple sports outlets reported that the club was examining the matter and that his position may be in jeopardy. Ynet reported that the coach missed the team’s training session because of the investigation and that his assistants ran the session instead.
Police emphasized that the case remains under investigation.