DONEWALD BANNED AFTER CHINA BRAWL
- Updated: October 13, 2010
China’s coach Bob Donewald has been suspended indefinitely after a huge fight caused an early end to a so-called ‘friendly’ between China and Brazil. The violence erupted after the ex-Leicester Riders, Derby Storm and London Leopards boss was ejected.
The American was slapped with two technicals and ejected for giving officials an earful after point guard Zhang Qingpeng suffered a concussion while taking a hard screen from a Brazilian player.
After that…well…just watch the video.
A contrite Donewald apologised for the incident at a press conference on Friday and said players had been following his lead after he protested against the officiating.
“The consequences of this event and the incident are severe,” Donewald said. “Not only was it against the spirit of competition, our actions were also not worthy of the adulation of our fans and the well wishes of the entire country.
“We have brought shame and disappointment to this team, to our fans, and to this nation. So on behalf of the national team, I offer our sincere apologies to everyone who supports and cares about us.”
Donewald, who took charge of the China team six months ago, was suspended indefinitely, fined 50,000 yuan (£6000), and given a formal warning.
Similar punishments were dealt to manager Zhang Xiong, who was fined 30,000 yuan (£2,800), and players Su Wei, Ding Jinhui and Zhu Fangyu, who were each fined 20,000 (£1600).
FIBA has contacted the two national basketball federations involved in order to start an investigation on the case, a process that could lead to suspensions for the involved parties and/or monetary fines.
FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann said: “We were instantly informed of the incident in China by the Chinese Basketball Association and we thank them for their swift action. We condemn violence and we are determined to fight it rigorously. Players and coaches are role models for youngsters and their peers. They should be aware of their responsibility and act accordingly at all times.â€
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