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Thon Maker and Daniel Kickert might be looking at time on the sidelines, but if FIBA are serious about protecting the game, the Philippines coach will be banned for life and the team thrown out of the 2019 World Cup qualifiers.
I had to watch it again this morning just to confirm it was real. The actions which went down in the Philippines last night during Australia’s World Cup qualifier against the nation were utterly deplorable and disgusting.
It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen on any sporting field or court. Simply unbelievable.
Let me get one thing very clear. The cheap shot from Daniel Kickert doesn’t leave Australia totally guilt-free out of the scenes in Manila.
The game was physical all the way and always going to explode at some point, but it should never have gotten to the point it did.
But what happened next was out of control.
The Philippines rushing the floor like they did from the bench, a chair being thrown at Nathan Sobey and Chris Goulding finding himself after what was a ten-man pile is simply outrageous.
If some of these actions happened in the street, they would end up in court.
It’s a blight on the sport of basketball and has unsurprisingly made headlines around the world. With nine ejections, the game then finished in laughable circumstances as five on three became five on two, then five on one which ended the game a whole 11 minutes early.
The aftermath to the incredible scenes near Manila has begun overnight, with FIBA launching disciplinary action, coach Chot Reyes defending the actions of his players and Filipino guard Terrence Romeo joining the circus with a tweet.
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
The translation goes something like this.
“To my fellow Filipino players who say we’re embarrassing. I don’t give a f***. Us teammates inside have 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”
The Filipino coach was the only one who fronted the media after the game, squarely pointing the finger at Daniel Kickert for his supposed antics during the warm-up and again during the game.
Yet, it was coach Reyes who sparked it when he told his team to ‘hit somebody. put somebody on their arse’ in a timeout just moments before the wild scenes.
The fact they can even try to defend what went down though is ridiculous, and shows they didn’t have a care in the world. To watch the Filipino team standing around while the referees reached their verdict, taking a team selfie and laughing about the incident while the Aussies stood there looking bewildered proved they thought it was one big joke.
While FIBA should clamp down hard on the hosts, leaving their coach without a job and most of their team suspended for the next 12 months – at a minimum – the Aussies will more or less get off.
It took incredible restraint and some brilliant experience and leadership from Matthew Dellavedova and coaching staff member Luc Longley to hold their players back from joining in, as the whole Philippines bench emptied.
(Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
It turned the brawl into a 20 (maybe more) on five situation, with only Thon Makers running kicks stopping the Aussies from being completely overwhelmed. If the Australian bench had of emptied, it’s almost guaranteed the situation would have been even more ugly.
Maker himself may well be suspended from the NBA for a period of time under article 35 of the constitution, which allows the league to suspend players for “conduct that does not conform to standards of morality [or] does not comply with all federal, state, and local laws…or is detrimental to the NBA.”
Regardless, it’s unlikely the Milwaukee Bucks or any other NBA club will be willing to let their prized cargo go for any more World Cup qualifiers in the off-season, which is a massive problem for international basketball.
The reaction from Basketball Australia has been completely different to that of their opponents. BA offered an official apology last night and will conduct their own internal investigation, with no one trying to defend the actions on court.
It’s time we started doing exactly that though. There could have been a riot if that fight went on much longer, with fans jumping in from the crowd as it was, adding to the numbers game facing the Australians.
Given the circumstances, the Boomers handled it as well as could have been expected, and while Kickert’s cheap shot may have sparked it, the foul on Goulding caused him to react in the first place. The fact no Australian player came out of it with an injury is staggering.
The reaction was over the top and stupid, but it doesn’t compare to anything the Philippines did in the following minutes. Or indeed the following half hour as the hosts laughed and joked about it, while the visitors immediately understood the severity of it.
The other question regarding the Philippines is their suitability to co-host the 2023 Basketball World Cup. It’s already been announced they will share duties alongside Japan and Indonesia.
After the reaction from fans and coaching staff, as well as authorities last night, it’s a question FIBA may need to adress in the coming months.
Regardless, there won’t be any international friendlies played between these two sides in the next decade.
It’s unlikely we will ever see anything this wild on a basketball court again.
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