Brawl penalties anger Boomers
INSULT was added to injury when basketball’s world governing body FIBA yesterday handed down limp penalties for the vicious all- in brawl between Australia and the Philippines earlier this month.
Thirteen players, 10 Filipino and three Australians, were handed bans, while the head coach and assistant coach of the Philippines were also suspended for their role in the ugly fight in the World Cup qualifier near Manila on July 2.
FIBA fined both Basketball Australia ($ 135,000) and the Philippines basketball federation ($ 337,679). The Philippines will play their next home game behind closed doors.
They have a three- year suspended sentence of another two home games.
The referees from the match were suspended from top- level games for a year.
Boomers forward Daniel Kickert was outed for five international matches for inciting unsportsmanlike behaviour and unsportsmanlike behaviour for his elbow on Philippines player Roger Pogoy. Thon Maker copped a three- game ban for unsports- manlike behaviour, while Boomers guard Chris Goulding – who was set upon by a group of Filipino players and coaches who punched, kicked and hit him with chairs – shockingly received a onematch ban.
Goulding was suspended for inciting unsportsmanlike behaviour and unsportsmanlike behaviour, despite being the victim of the pack attack.
The 10 Filipino players and two coaches received a total of 39 games in suspensions. One player, Calvin Abueva, received six games, while Pogoy, Carl Cruz and Jio Jalalon each received five- game bans.
FIBA held the two- week investigation behind closed doors and will not publicly issue the report.
The report found the Australian players did not racially abuse their opponents.
Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore said they were “unlikely” to appeal the bans but a final decision would be made at today’s board meeting.
He said Basketball Australia would conduct its own review of the incident and separate penalties for Boomers players were a possibility.
Former Boomer Chris Anstey says FIBA’s “soft” fivematch suspension for the Philippines player who kinghit Boomer Nathan Sobey was a shocker.
Jio Jalalon was not suited up during the match, but left the bench and punched the star guard in the face.
“That’s a disgrace,” Anstey said. “If he can get five weeks for that and ( Daniel) Kickert gets five weeks for an elbow? He’s essentially king hit a defenceless guy. If he did that on the street, he’d get arrested.”