Who’s to blame for fracas?

Emotions went over the top during the highly physical game between Gilas and Australia at the FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup qualifiers in the Philippine Arena last Monday. The crowd was estimated to be 22,000 and some fans got involved in the free-for-all that erupted with 4:01 left in the third period.

An interruption of over 30 minutes simmered down the opposing teams as the three referees went outdoors to review multiple angles of what transpired in ESPN5’s OB Van.

Fans entertained themselves by doing the wave and lighting up their cellfones during the impasse. Trying to diffuse the tension, former Gilas player Marc Pingris visited the Philippine bench and took a selfie with the players. Unfortunately, Pingris’ selfie was misinterpreted as some fans thought it wasn’t called for under the stormy circumstances.

When the referees returned, they announced 13 ejections, nine from Gilas. The game was eventually called off with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter and Australia walked away with an 89-53 win by default. The Philippines was down to one man after JuneMar Fajardo and Gabe Norwood fouled out.

Usually, a player who’s thrown out of a FIBA game for a disqualifying foul isn’t penalized more than an ejection, meaning there is no carryover penalty. But because of the scandalous fisticuffs and widespread coverage all over the world, FIBA will likely impose sanctions or disciplinary measures. In a tweet, FIBA said it will open “disciplinary proceedings against both teams ... (and) the decision or decisions will be communicated in the coming days.” We imagine there will be due process before sanctions are handed out.

Perhaps, the main culprits of the brawl were the three referees who apparently lost control of the game. They were Ahmed Al Bulushi of Oman, Hatim Alharbi of Saudi Arabia and Paul Skayem of Lebanon. When the fisticuffs erupted, they were nowhere to be found. They should’ve pacified the players and stepped into the path of anyone looking for a fight. FIBA should seriously consider sanctioning the referees more than the players.

The referees issued technicals in the course of the game but tolerated an unusually high level of physicality that could only lead to flare-ups. Jayson Castro said he complained about the unnecessary physicality and on one occasion, a referee apologized for not calling a foul.

Surely, the Australians were to blame, too. They were determined to win at all costs. The day before the game, the Australians took out the sponsorship decals on the floor without consulting their hosts. They later apologized when the SBP said the decals were previously cleared with FIBA. During the warm-ups, the Boomers made physical contact on the Gilas players who inadvertently crossed over to their half of the court. In the course of the game, the Australians resorted to taunting, bullying and roughhousing. What triggered the brawl was Daniel Kickert’s strike on R. R. Pogoy with a forearm. The usually mild-mannered Castro, who stands a foot shorter than Kickert, threw a flying punch after Pogoy was floored.

Of course, the Philippine players must also be taken to task. No matter how the Australians behaved, there was no cause to retaliate that way. The Filipino players said they wanted to stand up to the boorish Australians because they were disrespected in their own homecourt. It was like they were pushed against the wall and forced to defend themselves.

Gilas coach Chot Reyes said in the end, it wasn’t about winning or losing. He admitted the Boomers played much better than Gilas. “We were coming from a high after beating Chinese-Taipei while they were coming from a low after losing to Japan so we knew they were out to win in a big way,” he said. What Reyes couldn’t accept was how the Boomers disrespected the game and the homecrowd.

A sore point was the Arena’s lack of security. The brawl spilled into the stands as fans even got involved in the fracas. FIBA will seriously look into this problem as the Philippines is hosting the major part of the 2023 World Cup.