Basketball Australia pulls Boomers out of Iran World Cup qualifier amid player safety fears

Boomers stars have backed the decision to withdraw from their clash in Iran, amid safety concerns, as FIBA warned it could take further action against Basketball Australia.

Dejan Vasiljevic has backed Basketball Australia’s decision to pull the Boomers out of their clash in Iran. Picture: FIBA

Basketball Australia has pulled the Boomers out of their trip to Iran for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier amid fears over player safety.

Star scoring machine Dejan Vasiljevic said the players fully backed the decision but FIBA has not ruled out taking action against Basketball Australia.

The Australian Federal Government has warned of the potential for “terrorist attacks … bombings and shootings” and rising hostility between Iran and Israel, along with ongoing military tensions between Iran, the US and other countries in the Middle East.

Department of Foreign Affairs and trade warns arrests of foreign nationals in Iran have spiked, medical evacuation may be difficult and consular support is limited.

“Honestly, we are happy not playing Iran in Iran, just with all the chaos and protests going on,” Vasiljevic told News Corp from Kazakhstan.

“(Boomers team manager) Jason Smith and BA do a great job in making sure we are safe at all times.

“As much as we all wanted to play another game for our country, there was no security and assurance for us, so BA made the right choice.”

Dejan Vasiljevic has backed Basketball Australia’s decision to pull the Boomers out of their clash in Iran. Picture: FIBA

Overnight, the Boomers smacked Kazakhstan, 97-50, to seal their qualification for next year’s World Cup, before the governing body made the decision to avoid the Middle Eastern country, which has a ‘Do Not Travel’ warning as protests rage over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

FIBA has confirmed the game will be registered as a forfeit against Australia and would “investigate the matter for potential further measures”.

BA could face fines for pulling out of the contest.

Sam Froling, pictured in an earlier World Cup qualifier, was instrumental for the Boomers in their Kazakhstan demolition. Picture: AFP

Amini’s death sparked worldwide outrage and a civil movement after she was allegedly beaten by the country’s ‘morality police’ and died of a heart attack after she was arrested for allegedly violating strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijiab or headscarf.

The Australian Boomers were due to travel to Iran for a FIBA World Cup Qualifier on 15 November.  Basketball Australia have conducted a thorough risk assessment in conjunction with relevant authorities and as a result we will not be sending any teams into Iran at this time.

— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) November 11, 2022

“The Australian Boomers were due to travel to Iran for a FIBA World Cup Qualifier on 15 November. Basketball Australia have conducted a thorough risk assessment in conjunction with relevant authorities and as a result we will not be sending any teams into Iran at this time,” BA’s statement read.

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The Boomers’ World Cup place is sealed, but News Corp can reveal the Aussies’ next-gen team the Emus have not qualified for the U19 World Cup to be held in Hungary next year.

In August, amid rising tensions, BA chose not to send the group of teenagers to Iran for the U18 Asia Cup, which is a path to qualification for the World Cup.

In a statement to News Corp, FIBA confirmed the Emus would not play in next year’s U19 World Cup — Korea, Japan, China and Lebanon would represent Asia at the tournament.

News Corp understands a number of the country’s best underagers, including 217cm 16-year-old wunderkind Rocco Zikarsky NCAA Division 1 CBU Lancers commit Kye Savage, have been left devastated, given they were a strong medal chance.

It is understood, during BA’s conversation’s with FIBA over concerns for the teenagers’ safety if they travelled to Iran, Russian president Vladimir Putin flew into the country’s capital Tehran to meet with Turkish and Iranian leaders.

FIBA has been contacted for comment.