The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has apologized for the abandonment of the Road to Mecca III championship match on Sunday noting that the decision made by the official which led to fracas was incorrect and that the fixture will likely be replayed utilizing better officials locally and from overseas.
The final between Linden unit Retrieve Raiders and Georgetown side Colts was abandoned after the former team walked off the court in the fourth quarter alleging biased officiating.
At the time of the stoppage, Colts was leading 54-51 with 9:18s remaining on the clock.
Raiders eventually returned to the playing area 20 minutes later following discussions with the GABF President Nigel Hinds.
Subsequently, footage of the fouls which led to the incident were reviewed by Hinds, the officials and the captain of Raiders.
It was eventually deemed that mistakes were made by the official. However, the match did not resume after Colts opted to exit the arena, citing that the actions of their opponents could not be condoned.
“The 2016 National Club Championships – Road to Mecca III was played with a high degree of competitiveness and was presented to the Guyanese public with the intent of keeping high standards, maintaining discipline and providing a great experience to the supporters of Basketball. Fans filled the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday, March 19th to watch the high powered and high quality game,” the GABF stated in a press release yesterday.
“The GABF was on the verge of attaining these goals when during the fourth quarter of the finals, an unwarranted (as per the video replay) foul call made by one of the referees, followed by three technical fouls from the same referee against Retrieve Raiders, a club based in Linden, resulted in an exciting and competitive game coming to a premature end.
“When the initial foul call was made, Colts were ahead by three points during the last segment of the fourth quarter, so it was vitally important that during this stage of the game that calls by referees are warranted, even more so during the deciding period of a high intensity, competitive finals, with the winner receiving $500,000,” the release added.
“Having the good fortune of E-Networks filming the finals allowed for a review of the video of the initial call by the referee. It was clear to all who viewed the initial foul call that it was unwarranted and absolutely not a foul. All who viewed the replay, including Mr. Dexter Douglas (President Guyana Basketball Official Council) and one of the finals game referees: Mr. Rawle Toney, another experienced referee, and countless others including myself, were of the view that no call should have been made by the referee.
“Just as a motorist should not be penalized by the police for not stopping at a green light, a foul call should not be made against a player for catching an uncontested rebound. Moreover, if the driver expresses his or her mild objection to the stop by the police officer, and as a result of this objection the driver receives a traffic ticket; it is an abuse of authority by the police officer – I think Freddie Kissoon will agree with this point.
“The ensuing technical fouls after the initial call were seen to be highly questionable, except for the last technical foul, as the foul call created a disrupted state of affairs that was virtually impossible to continue – with teams leaving their bench before the game was over, among other infractions,” the release added.
“As much as we cannot condone indiscipline, errant calls by referees should not be given a pass merely because the person making the call is a referee. Games between Linden and Georgetown or between top-ranked clubs from Linden and Georgetown are competitive as has been the case over the last eight months, resulting in the most thrilling and competitive basketball Guyana has to offer. Thus, referees have to be “thick skinned” and recognize that Basketball is a players’ game.
“Referees ultimately have to at all times recognize that sports are a stage for the players to perform and that the important role for referees and umpires is to ensure compliance with the rules”.
“Referees have been the targets of harsh and insulting attacks from coaches, players and fans of the sport, both on and off the court. The GABF will have to put measures in place to eliminate or significantly mitigate the occurrence of abuse targeting referees. The problem is not limited to games between Linden and Georgetown, where some referees refuse to officiate, but also extends to Inter-Association games. Coaches and players disgrace the sport of basketball by insulting, berating and ridiculing referees. This practice must stop”.
“The GABF will meet shortly to resolve this matter in the best interest of our affiliates, sponsors, clubs, fans and the image of basketball in Guyana. My expectation is that the 2016 National Club Championships Finals will be replayed using the best referees locally and from the Caribbean region” the release added.
“Alan Dershowitz noted in his book Supreme Injustice “ In order to be fair, justice must be blind – not to the facts, the law, or even the policy implications of its decisions, but most certainly to the name and party affiliations of the litigants. Likewise, we in the GABF have to ensure that our affiliates act in a manner that is fair and impartial,” it concluded.
