The Euroleague basketball has “strongly” condemned the events that occurred at the end of the second game of the playoff series between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade, which led to the end of the match when there was still one minute and 40 seconds left to play, with 80-95 on the scoreboard. In the final brawl, the referees disqualified 21 players, who face possible heavy sanctions: from one to four years of suspension, or more than three games.
Real Madrid loses the series 0-2, which initially travels to Belgrade on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. The winner of this quarterfinal between Spaniards and Serbs will be the rival of Barça-Zalgiris (which could benefit from the rival’s sanctions).
In a statement, the Euroleague indicates that in the final stretch of the match there was an altercation on the field between players from both teams and most of the benches emptied to enter the track and join the fight.
“When disqualifications were applied for those players who participated in the altercation and those automatically ejected for leaving the bench area, neither team had the required minimum of two players each to finish the match; therefore, the match is officially considered finished with the score at that time stopped, 80-95 in favor of Partizan, who now lead the series 2-0.”
The note reports that the Euroleague basketball “has forwarded the reported facts to the Euroleague Independent Disciplinary Judge, who will issue a resolution on the incidents on the track in accordance with the established procedures, in the following 24 hours.
The Euroleague “strongly condemns the events that occurred at the end of the game. Such events do not represent the values ​​of respect that the league and its clubs promote and that the sport of basketball embodies.”
It all started with an unsportsmanlike foul by Sergio Llull on Kevin Punter, who released the ball and faced the Spaniard and raised his fist. Yabusele, Dante Exum and Gabriel Deck run towards them. Exum pushes Llull, Deck grabs the Australian from behind and he struggles with the Argentine. Yabusele grabs Exum and does a judo hold on him, knocking him to the ground, then Punter hits Musa in the face… There are many players involved in the brawl: Llull, Punter, Exum, Lessott, Deck, Musa, Hezonja and Yabusele .
After reviewing the images for more than ten minutes, the arbitration deliberation formed a conclave between them and coaches -Obradovic and Chus Mateo- so that the main referee Radovic ended the game with one minute and forty seconds left for the fight. .
As established by the Euroleague regulations, the players who jumped onto the track from the bench are now disqualified (as if they received a fifth personal foul), so they would not be penalized for future games.
However, in the case of the eight players who received the disqualifying foul when they were on the court and in the opinion of the referees they were part of the fight (Musa, Hezonja, Deck and Yabusele by Real Madrid and Punter, Exum, Lessort and Nunnally of Partizan) they can fall sanction matches or financial fine if considered by the Independent Judge of the Euroleague.
Depending on the degree of the infraction (minor or serious), the sanction will be lower or higher. Thus, article 27.1 of the Euroleague regulations considers “physical aggression against a member of the refereeing team, another player, a fan or any person in general” to be serious infractions.
Also “serious infractions” are “threatening, humiliating or degrading actions towards a member of the refereeing team, another player, a fan or any person in general”, as well as “discriminatory actions in word or deed” and “all acts and any type of conduct that directly or indirectly leads to or induces violence”.
The punishment set by the Euroleague for serious sanctions is a fine of 30,001 euros to 280,000 euros, the ban from participating in Euroleague competitions for one to four years, or for three or more games. And even a permanent disqualification from the EuroLeague.
Yabusele would be the player with the most numbers to receive an exemplary sanction, but Punter, Exum, Lessort and Deck could also have a severe punishment for a serious infraction.
About the final brawl, the Real Madrid coach, Chus Mateo, “the opposing team has been very incisive and the frustration has made us lose our nerves. This is a sport and we don’t like to see what has happened. With that frustration and fever it is It’s hard to be calm,” he said.
“You have to lower your heart rate a bit, the players have spoken here in the locker room and everyone has calmed down. By regulations, leaving the bench means that they are disqualified. There was also some disqualifying for other reasons. That is what the referees have told us in the end. I hope this doesn’t get any further. We all apologize. Also Partizan. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the players and know what pulsations they are at”, he reflected.
“I am concerned not only about the sanctions. We are trying to rebuild the calendar, and many players who are coming and going. Hopefully there are no sanctions and we do not lose any more pieces,” Chus Mateo concluded in statements collected by Efe.
