Philippine officials express regret over brawl

MANILA (Reuters) – Philippines' basketball and government officials on Tuesday expressed regret for a mbadive mid-game brawl that led to the ejection of nine Filipino and four Australian players during a World Cup 2019 Asian qualifier.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the game's world governing body, opened the night of the game. Penalties and fines would be announced in FIBA ​​said on Twitter.

Australia led by Roger Pogoy Chris Goulding with an elbow. Goulding's team mate Daniel Kickert Retaliated to spark a free-for-all with the crowd getting involved

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, said the government did not justify the conduct of the Filipino players in the "regretful incident. "

" It was of course the height of being unsportsmanlike, "Roque told a regular news conference. "

Vincent Reyes, head coach of the national basketball team, said:" It's unfortunate, we did not want that to happen, it's absolutely unacceptable, "

Roberto Puno, vice-chairman of the Philippines' basketball body, said he was proud of the way the players had" stood their ground ".

" I think we stood our I am proud of the Pilipinas boys for standing for the Filipino people, "he said.

times. The game eventually resumed in farcical fashion with Philippines fielding three players against Australia's five

"Basketball Australia deeply regrets the incident in tonight's match between the Boomers and the Philippines.We are extremely disappointed with what happened and our role in it," Anthony Moore, the chief executive of Basketball Australia, said "

" This is not the spirit in which we should be playing and we are not in the game. "

The match, in Bulacan, in the Philippines, was called to the end of the third quarter with leading Australia 89-53, after the hosts were left with only one player due to fouls.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, Neil Jerome Morales and Manuel Mogato in Manila, Editing by Alison Williams / Peter Rutherford)