By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
FIBA officially announced that there’s an ongoing investigation, “regarding the allegations from both federations in relation to actions in the team areas of the venue, involving players and delegation members from both teams” in the game between Turkey and Georgia.
Furkan Korkmaz stated that he was attacked by five persons, after initially threatening to leave the Eurobasket, coach Ergin Ataman asked for extra security measures, while Turkish Basketball Federation vice-president and former player Omer Onan asked for sanctions toward Georgia.
On the other side, Georgia’s basketball federation states that there were “provocations” from the side of Turkey.
Meanwhile, FIBA also announced that the protest of the Turkish side about the outcome of the game because of the now infamous 22 “lost” seconds, was dismissed.
Per the press release: “Following the conclusion of the Game, the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) submitted a protest regarding a timekeeping operations error (the game clock ran for 22 seconds while the game was stopped).
After reviewing all material and evidence submitted, the Single Judge of the FIBA EuroBasket Disciplinary Panel ruled that:
While indeed there was a timekeeping operations error during the 4th quarter of the Game, the TBF failed to establish in their protest, as per the Official Basketball Rules, that had it not been for the timekeeping operations error, a different result would have certainly materialized. In consequence, TBF’s protest, objecting the result of the game, was dismissed”.
Meanwhile, Ergin Ataman, Furkan Korkmaz, and Duda Sanadze, who were ejected from the game, are not going to be sanctioned with a one-game suspension, as FIBA wants to calm spirits down.