Yaakov Shahar is seeking to sell Maccabi Haifa for $100 million, Calcalist has recently reported. According to a report by Golan Hazani, the 84-year-old owner, who has controlled the club for 35 years, has renewed his efforts to sell it, roughly six months after negotiations to sell half of his stake to a group of American investors (as first reported by Walla Sport) collapsed without a deal. This time, Shahar is seeking to sell his entire stake in a single transaction. He previously announced at an event for the club's sponsors that he was looking for an investor.
According to Calcalist, Shahar and his partners, the heirs of Israel Kaz, have hired international investment bank Raine Group, which specializes, among other areas, in sports industry transactions, to identify a potential buyer. The bank has already begun reaching out to prospective investors. One option under consideration is to assemble an ownership group comprising a Jewish billionaire who would hold a 51% stake and a group of Maccabi Haifa-supporting tech entrepreneurs who would acquire the remaining 49%. Under the proposed arrangement, each member of the minority group would be required to invest between $5 million and $10 million.
Calcalist reported that the tech entrepreneurs operate through the "Greentech" forum, which brings together entrepreneurs and businesspeople who support Maccabi Haifa. The initiative is being led on the group's behalf by Tom Livne, co-founder of Verbit, which reached a valuation of $2 billion at its peak. Other potential investors mentioned in the report include Ofer Ben-Noon, co-founder of Argus and Talon; Tal Slobodkin; Shimon Elkabetz; Ziv Paz; Tamir Bar-Ilan; Ami Serkis; and Guy Nitzan. Hotelier David Fattal and businessman Udi Angel may also join the group, although the report emphasized that not all forum members are expected to take part in the acquisition.
According to the report, Shahar decided to sell the club in consultation with his sons, but the longtime owner is not prepared to hand it over to just any buyer. Calcalist noted that Shahar "sees Maccabi Haifa as his life's work" and will therefore only agree to sell it to a buyer who can "ensure its long-term future."