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.
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