PH-Australia ‘basketbrawl’ draws mixed reactions from netizens
THE Internet is abuzz over the “basketbrawl” between Gilas Pilipinas and Australia’s Boomers on Monday night.
Philippine netizens expressed disgust over the incident that saw players from both teams clear their benches and engage in a fistfight during the third quarter of the of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asian Qualifiers on Monday at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
“Closed fists and throwing punches and kicks leave you blood stains, not victory or justice,” The Manila Times reporter Llanesca Panti said on Facebook while watching the game. “Gilas, winasak niyo ang puso namin ngayong gabi.” (Gilas, you broke our hearts tonight.)
For Bien Amoranto, bad officiating is why the brawl occurred.
“Bad officiating is the root cause,” he wrote on Facebook. “For sure, may sanctions. After all, Laban Pilipinas pa rin!”
“When I first read the headline about the FIBA brawl, I am saddened and a little bit ashamed of what had happened,” Adrian Cruz Hernandez wrote on Facebook. “However, when I watched the video, Go GILAS! Thanks for showing the world that we will not be quiet when we are treated badly. Don’t mess up with Filipinos.”
Even politicians joined in the discussion.
“Daniel Kickert of Australia was the one who shoved Matthew Wright during warm-ups,” Sen. JV Ejercito tweeted. “He was also the one who gave the elbow to Roger Pogoy’s blind side that started the brawl. Dirty and arrogant player.”
“Unfortunately the game ended in a brawl,” Sen. Joel Villanueva tweeted. “Can you really blame our Gilas players, down 25+ points these guys were still taunting then the solid elbow off [Roger] Pogoy’s face?”
Thirteen players, nine from the Philippine side, were ejected after the brawl. The Filipinos lost, 89-53. ARIC JOHN SY CUA
The post PH-Australia ‘basketbrawl’ draws mixed reactions from netizens appeared first on The Manila Times Online.