Australia vs. Philippines basketball game erupts into huge brawl
THE Australian Boomers were ‘pretty shaken up’ and ‘in fear of their physical safety’ after the vicious all-in brawl in the Philippines that Basketball Australia’s CEO called a ‘pretty dark day’.
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THE Australian basketball team changed hotels after the vicious all-in brawl in the Philippines overnight amid fears for their physical safety in the aftermath of the ugly incident that has sparked global headlines.
Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore described the shocking scenes at Philippine Arena in the FIBA World Cup qualifying match - where coward punches, kicks and chairs were thrown in wild scenes - as a “pretty dark day’’ for basketball as the sport had “reputationally ... taken a hit’’.
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Moore said the Australian squad was “pretty shaken up” and “in fear of their physical safety” following the stunning fight where Chris Goulding was set upon by a host of opposition players and staff and teammate Nathan Sobey was hit with a chair and punched.
Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore on #FIBAWC brawl: pic.twitter.com/vLasYC79WW
— Veronica Eggleton (@veggleton) July 3, 2018
He said the Boomers were not blameless as it was “challenging to defend’’ the “unsavoury” elbow from Australian forward Daniel Kickert, who was reacting to Goulding being sent to the floor by a heavy shove with four minutes left in the third quarter. That sparked the Philippines team to leave the bench and start a virtual street fight in a stunning over-reaction.
They chased Kickert around the court as fists, feet and chairs started to fly. Boomers guard Sobey was pinned under a courtside chair and punched by a number of Philippine players.
Moore said “it was alarming, absolutely alarming’’ what happened and it was “unacceptable’’ that the Boomers were subjected to a violent attack.
The Australian team is due to fly out of the Philippines this afternoon with players and coaching staff expected to arrive home in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Moore thought the sight of Philippines players posing for a selfie after the brawl was “pretty odd” and that the game continued to be played after a long delay.
“You’ve been in a major altercation and then to be seemingly enjoying the moment, I found that very strange,’’ he said.
“I found it extraordinary that in those circumstances, in a tinder box environment like that, that the game continues with three players (for the Philippines).’’
The Philippines are set to host the 2023 FIBA World Cup and Moore expects FIBA to seek assurances that they conduct the tournament safely.
He said Basketball Australia would also need the Philippines to guarantee the Boomers’ safety if they were to ever return.
“You can rest assured that discussion (with FIBA re: 2023 World Cup) will happen. security plans are a key part of what we do now,’’ Moore said.
The Boomers are due to play in the second round of qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China with windows in September, November and February next year.
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Moore emphatically refuted local claims that there were incidents in the warm-up but said Basketball Australia apologised to the Philippines for ripping up a slippery on-court advertising sticker before the game that added to tensions.
“The issue with player safety. It’s not a throw-away line. We had our players, our team management and our coaches in fear of their physical safety.
“That’s a fairly compelling set of circumstances. Are we actually going to get out of here unscathed?
“There is a heightened sense of anxiety amongst the playing group and coaching staff.
“It was a pretty distressed playing group last night.’’
He said Goulding and all of his teammates were “shaken up’’ and “Chris, in particular”.
“There’s vision of Luc Longley, our NBA legend (and Boomers assistant coach) taking a position of an Australian Wallaby clearing a maul to actually get a significant number of people off him.
“That’s what we were dealing with.’’
Moore said he was proud of how Boomers bench followed the rules and stayed on the sideline when the brawl erupted.
But he said a lot of damage had been done to the sport’s overall image.
“It’s a set-back for us. It’s a pretty dark day. Our sport’s in terrific shape at the grassroots level, we’ve got record numbers playing around the country. Our men’s and women’s national leagues are doing fantastic things,’’ he said.
“We need to work incredibly hard to repair that image.
“This is major news all over the world. There’s a lot of commentary around this. reputationally, we’ve taken a hit. No question.’’
Moore said the Philippines Basketball Association were “apologetic’’ but also concerned for their own players’ welfare.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION LOOMS
Given the long, football-like World Cup qualification process is new for basketball and players and teams quickly go their separate ways, it could a number of days for the sanctions to be handed out.
NBL-based Boomers stars Kickert, Goulding and Sobey could be suspended from playing in the domestic league, pending FIBA’s probe.
— Thon Maker ™ (@ThonMaker14) July 3, 2018
The trio were among four Boomers ejected, including Milwaukee Bucks star Thon Maker, following the Manila meltdown.
In disgraceful scenes, Goulding was set upon by a number of Philippine players as the fight dragged on for more than a minute and the referees losing complete control.
NBA player Maker also appeared to try and kick Philippine players who were punching Australian players from behind, as the fight spilt off the court and close to the grandstand.
Kickert looks set to face the heaviest sanctions but Goulding and Sobey could escape penalty, with uncertainty around the reasons behind their surprise ejections.
The pair were set upon court-side, Goulding trapped underneath a pile of Phillipines players, officals and court-side spectators, while Sobey had a chair thrown at his head and sucker-punched by a Filipino player not in uniform.
The trio could still be availble for the NBL-NBA preseason games, starting September 29 (AEST) as the NBA does not fall under FIBA regulations.
Whereas the NBL is obliged to uphold any sanctions imposed by FIBA.
— Kenjie (@KenjieZK) July 2, 2018
Basketball Australia engaged legal advice after the incident as well as speaking to the Philippines Basketball association, team management and the club sides of the Boomers players.
Moore said getting the Boomers squad home safely was Basketball Australia’s No.1 priority.
“We deeply regret the incident that occurred last night and our role in it. We don’t play the game in that spirit,’’ Moore said.
“While we accept our responsibility for our role … what we don’t accept is the action whereby fans and officials actually get involved in the fray.
“One of our players, Nathan Sobey, is being assaulted by a fan. We’ve got Chris Goulding (under) a pack of players and officials, prone on the court. We’ve also got a fan throwing a chair at one of our players.
“We absolutely find that unacceptable and we’ll be waiting for FIBA to provide us with their findings and sanctions.’’
Moore said Sobey and Goulding were “bruised and battered’’ but there were no breaks or serious injuries.
He said the Australian Embassy assisted the team getting out of the stadium safely.
“Our players are fine (physically) … but really it’s the mental health of our players that we are absolutely concerned about. The critical issue last night was making sure that our players were safely able to leave the arena,’’ Moore said.
“It was a significant issue (security) in terms of the tension in the arena. Basketball is the No.1 sport in the Philippines, incredible passion.
“Our athletes and coaches stayed on the court for a considerable amount of time because it would be the safest place.
“We were fortunate to have the Australian Embassy officials at the game … they were able to assist us greatly in getting them from the court and on to the team bus and to the hotel.’’
Moore was in Japan on Friday night when the Boomers lost to the host nation by one point but was back in Australia and watched the brawl unfold on TV.
“When you see a congregation of players at the end of the court and you are saying, ”is one of our guys actually under there?’’ he said.
“It was absolutely alarming to think that one of our players is surrounded by about 20 people with a significant amount of physical altercations occurring.’’
Nine Philippine players were also ejected after the nasty confrontation but, in farcical scenes, the match continued with just three Philippine players still eligible to be on the court.
They then deliberately fouled the Australians so they could gradually be disqualified from the game and bring an early end to the drama that ended with an 89-53 win to the Boomers with 1min 57sec left in the third quarter.
A long delay followed as officials from FIBA and both countries engaged in a discussion, leaving the score in Australia’s favour at 79-48.
A local official appealed to the crowd to remain calm and show the Boomers respect.
The referees eventually returned to the court with a notebook full of punishments.
The nine Philippine players ejected were Roger Ray Pogoy (who shoved Goulding and was elbowed by Kickert), Japeth Aguilar, Jeth Rosario, Terrence Bill Romeo, Matthew Wright, Calvin Abueva, naturalised American Andray Blatche, Carl Bryan Cruz and Jayson Castro.
The win helped Australia finish on top of Group B in first round of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
AGENT CALLS FOR SERIOUS ACTION
Chris Goulding was “appalled” by what took place, according to his agent Daniel Moldovan.
“He is (OK),” Moldovan said.
“He’s a little bit bruised and battered, but he is OK. He’s a tough one. He’s shocked and appalled, as we all are, at what took place.”
He said Goulding was at one point pinned down as a dozen people attacked him.
“That was just Chris – alone, underneath 12 guys stomping him, punching him, kicking him, the American on the team was holding his leg down so he couldn’t get up,” Moldovan said on SEN. “Unacceptable.
“What took place from those that flew off the bench out of sight and out of mind for those involved in the fracas, the team officials, managers, equipment guys, waterboys, whoever they were – going in in the fashion that they did, that’s where I take serious offence to what took place and that’s where I want to see FIBA come down with a very, very heavy hand.”
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Moldovan said he had seen his fair share of on-court fights in his time – but nothing like this.
And he would hesitate in sending players back to the Philippines unless FIBA hands down an appropriate penalty and has not ruled out legal action.
“Serious measures would need to be put in place for me to feel comfortable to allow them to go there again,” he said.
“It’s unheard of – here in America the amount of security that runs on to the court in an incident is overwhelming.
This was the moment which sparked the wild brawl between Australia and the Philippines.
— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) July 2, 2018
Watch the full video here: https://t.co/4Q9PMT3HBX pic.twitter.com/697MycUFeq
🀠🥊
— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) July 2, 2018
“It’s hard for me to even fathom (that no security stepped in). If FIBA’s response isn’t adequate, I’m going to pursue my own legal avenues to protect my clients. Serious measures would need to be put in place before I’m comfortable to send players to these environments again.
“Fines are inadequate. There would need to be serious sanctions against the federation.”
There have today been calls for criminal charges against those involved.
THE PHILIPPINO RESPONSE
Philippines coach Jong Uichico took to Twitter to apologise after being captured during the broadcast encouraging his players to “hit somebody, put someone on their arse”.
“Tonight, my emotions got the better of me like a father who cares about his sons,’’ he said.
“That does not excuse my actions and I apologise to everyone as in hindsight, I should have not gotten involved.
“This is a painful but maybe necessary lesson for me.’’
Moldovan was having none of it and called for the coach to resign.
“Your words are hollow. You didn’t act like a father who cares about his sons. You acted like a classless animal with zero brains,’’ Moldovan said.
“Hand in your resignation, your country deserves better.’’
Philipine guard, Terrence Romeo defended his and his teammate’s actions:
The tweet translates to:
To my fellow filipino players who say we’re embarrassing. We do not know anything about you. We have a teammate inside we need to help We can’t let them be on their own. If we’re embarrassing in your eyes why don’t you become an Australian...’
Basketball’s international governing body has opened disciplinary hearings against Australia and the Philippines.
“FIBA will now open disciplinary proceedings against both teams. The decisions will be communicated in the coming days,” the world body tweeted.
Some of the action between the Philippines V Australia basketball game tonight.... #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/rUU6SRxJZw
— Gerard 🧟â€â™‚ï¸ (@gstzombie) July 2, 2018
Moore issued a statement following the match to apologise for the Boomers’ involvement in the violent incident.
“Basketball Australia deeply regrets the incident in tonight’s match between the Boomers and the Philippines in Manila,” Moore said.
“We are extremely disappointed with what happened and our role in it. “This is not the spirit in which sport should be played and certainly not in the spirit in which we aim to play basketball.
“We apologise to our fans and will await the penalties to be handed down.”
Moore has confirmed that Australian officials acted quickly to ensure player safety and that the Boomers will departed shortly after the game.
“It was on a knife’s edge,” he said.
“Players and coaches were fearful of their physical safety.
“That’s how significant the issue was last night postgame.
Dun sa mga kapwa namin players na nag sasabing embarassing kami wala kaming paki alam sa inyo . Kami mag kaka teammate sa loob kailangan namin mag tulungan. Hindi namin pwede pabayaan yung isat isa. Kung embarassing kami sa mata niyo bat di kayo mag convert ng australian.
— Terrence Romeo (@tbvromeo) July 2, 2018
“Every time we play the Philippines ... they’re really physical games. They’re tough, competitive games. But we have had nothing like this.
“There was nothing like that in the first half that even indicated that this is about to happen.”
Moore said he had been in close contact with team management all night, the local federation and FIBA. The Australian ambassador for the Philippines attended the game and the embassy has been working closely with the team in the wake of the incident.
“That’s the most concerning part - you’ve got an on-court incident ... this was ugly in an on-court sense and what occurred once it spilled into the side of the playing arena, where you’ve got security who I’m not quite sure what they were doing ... and Nathan Sobey assaulted by a fan - there’s no other word for it - and then having a chair thrown,” he said on SEN.
“It’s that sort of security that no doubt FIBA will look at as part of their overall sanction.
“That was perhaps the most alarming part to us - it escalated out of the players’ side, and into fans and officials. That was quite alarming. You’ve got Chris Goulding laying flat on the floor with about 20 blokes on top of him. That’s pretty alarming.”
AND BACK TO THE BASKETBALL GAME …
After a shock one-point loss to Japan on Friday night, the Boomers were stung into action and blew the home nation off the court early at the half-full 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena.
Australia went with same starting five from the loss to Japan with Matthew Dellavedova, Goulding, Kevin Lisch, Nick Kay and Maker setting a much better tone from the opening tip.
The Boomers could not buy a jump shot against Japan but quickly found their range against the Philippines and jumped out to an early 19-10 lead with eight field goals from just 10 attempts on the way to a five-point lead at quarter-time.
With greater intensity in defence and crisper execution in offence, Australia kicked away at the start of the second quarter and extended their buffer to 12 points.
Australia’s advantage got out to 17 points after a Goulding flurry before the Boomers took a 52-37 lead into halftime with 10 players scoring for the visitors in a more complete team effort.
After quiet nights against Japan, Lisch, Sobey and Kickert all came to the party offensively in the first half.
The Boomers broke down the zone defence of the Philippines with some clever passing that gave them far better looks at the basket compared to a clunky offensive effort against Japan.
Australia used 11 players across the first two quarters as they ran the home side off their feet and forced a number of turnovers with suffocating defensive pressure up the court with Dellavedova particularly dangerous with three steals.
The NBA star also threw a number of pinpoint passes to set up spectacular dunks by his Bucks teammates Maker in a far more polished display after his rusty outing against Japan.
The Philippines tested Australia in their first encounter in Melbourne in February when the Boomers eventually pulled away to record a 16-point win.
But they were not able to muster the same amount of fight on their home pine as the Boomers bounded away to a 23-point lead in the scrappy third term when both sides drew technical fouls.
The Boomers finished the first round of home-and-away qualification games against the Philippines, Japan and Chinese Taipei with a 5-1 record.
Their competition points will carry through to the second round which will feature three windows — September and November/December this year and February next year before the FIBA World Cup in China in August and September.
Originally published as Australia vs. Philippines basketball game erupts into huge brawl
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