Players from Australia and the Philippines fight in World Cup qualifiers



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BRISBANE, Australia – Basketball Australia announces that FIBA ​​will enter a "new territory" during a bench fight during the qualifying match for the World Cup of Australia vs. the Philippines Monday

Thirteen players, including four Australians, were ejected for their part in the fight that took place in the third quarter of the match at the Philippine Arena in Ciudad de Victoria. The match was won by Australia 79-48

Fights broke out four minutes from the end when Australian Chris Goulding was knocked down by an opponent, Goulding's teammate Daniel Kickert reacting by a nudge.

Philippine players and officials poured into the field and a wild scrum began. Thon Maker, an NBA star from Sudan, was seen to score several kicks for Filipino players and Goulding was trapped on the ground under a stack of players as punches were thrown into the air. arena by the fans. They were then helped to leave the arena, board a bus and return to their hotel by representatives of the Australian Embbady.

Anthony Moore, General Manager of Basketball Australia, said the players were injured. He said his organization would cooperate fully with any investigation or tribunal of FIBA, but he would not speculate on the sanctions that might be imposed.

"I can not speculate on what the sanctions will be because we are in a new territory in this regard," Moore said. "We want to work with FIBA ​​on the court and get this result and we will evaluate our results from there."

"We have informed our lawyers about this, as you expect us to do."

Kickert's retaliation after Goulding's fault was an "unpleasant act".

"While we accept our responsibility in our role in the incident last night, we do not accept the action by which fans and officials are involved in the fray . "Moore said." We find this absolutely unacceptable. "

Moore said the players feared for their safety in the atmosphere of" lighter "inside the stadium." 19659002 "You have seen in the vision our athletes and coaches stay on the field This has been considered the safest place for our players and our coaches, "he said." It's a set of circumstances quite convincing; will we go out unscathed?

"Physically, our players are fine, they are bruised and beaten … (but) all players are shaken and Chris in particular."

Milwaukee Bucks Center Maker defended his role in the incident , saying in a statement on Twitter that he was trying to defend his

"I am deeply disappointed with the actions unfolded in yesterday's match against the Philippines," said Maker. "Being a native of a war-torn country, basketball has always been a way to bring people together."

"I feel a great responsibility as an NBA actor to lead me from home." A way that promotes peace and unity. "My hope is that this experience will provide a springboard for discussion about the safety surrounding these games."

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