THE FIBA Disciplinary Panel brought down the hammer on 10 members of the Gilas Pilipinas basketball squad, handing out suspensions that ran as long as six games, in the aftermath of the massive brawl that occurred during their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers game versus Australia earlier this month in Bulacan.
FIBA immediately launched a disciplinary proceeding after the game and referred the matter to its Disciplinary Panel, which then released the decision yesterday.
Cebuano Roger Ray Pogoy was slapped with a five-game suspension, the same penalty that Carl Bryan Cruz and Jio Jalalon were given. The panel punished the Talisay City-native for “inciting unsportsmanlike behavior.”
Cebu Daily News was able to get in touch with Pogoy but the University of Cebu product politely declined to comment as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, Inc. (SBP) officials were set to issue a statement in a press conference.
The five-game suspension however, was not the longest; that belonged to the “Beast” Calvin Abueva, for what the panel reasons as “due also to prior unsportsmanlike behavior in a FIBA competition.”
Japeth Aguilar and Matthew Wright got one-game suspensions while Terrence Romeo, Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario and naturalized player, Andray Blatche got three-game suspensions.
Gilas head coach Chot Reyes and assistant, Jong Uichico, were also not spared as the former got a one-suspension on top of a CHF 10,000 (P534,834) fine, while the latter got spanked for three games for “unsportsmanlike behavior.”