Basketball’s world governing body, FIBA, has fined and suspended China’s national team coach along with three players after a bench-clearing brawl put an end to a friendly match with Brazil in October.
Team China’s coach Bob Donewald was suspended for three games and fined 40,000 Swiss francs (US$40,900), FIBA said in a statement on its Web site.
Donewald, an American, was also placed on two years of probation, during which “exemplary and sportsmanlike behavior” is expected, FIBA said.
The Chinese Basketball Association was slapped with a fine of SF20,000, while player Zhu Fangyu was suspended for two games. Players Sun Yue and Zhang Bo were each given one-game suspensions, the statement said.
FIBA said the parties had the right to appeal.
The fighting erupted during the game played in China after Donewald was hit with two technical fouls for angrily arguing with game referees, FIBA said.
Two on-court fights ensued, with Chinese players attacking Brazilian players in both incidents, it said. The game was stopped after the brawling and never resumed.
“Coaches, players and referees share the responsibility for ensuring the game is played in a sporting and exemplary manner,” FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann said.
“This sends the important message that such violence within the sport is utterly unacceptable,” he said of the punishment.
FIBA also banned the three Chinese match referees from working international games for a period of one year.
All game suspensions would pertain to international matches, not games in China’s just-begun professional league season, it said.
Footage of the fight was widely circulated on the Internet, showing Chinese players hitting, kicking and chasing the Brazilian players.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Gvardiol was one of two City centerbacks who went off injured in the second half, along with Ruben Dias, before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors. The draw left second-placed City six points behind English Premier League leaders Arsenal. City, announcing Gvardiol sustained a tibial fracture to his right leg, added in a statement issued on Monday: “The defender will have surgery later this week and assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
RSS