Fruitas win forfeited for fielding ineligible player

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud. PBA IMAGE/NUKI SABIO

MANILA, Philippines – PBA Commissioner Chito Salud has nullified Fruitas’ 88-82 win over Cafe France after the Shakers played an ineligible player in their PBA D-League debut last Thursday.

In an article posted Tuesday in the league’s website, Salud also slapped the team with a P25,000 fine for fielding in Joseph Erioubu in the second quarter despite “the lack of documentary requirements to prove that he is a Filipino citizen.”

“This Office having no record in its file of the submission of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) Order of Recognition, the minimum requirement for foreign-born players like Mr. Erioubu, holds that the said player is ineligible to play in the PBA D-League until such time that he complies with the league’s documentary requirements,” Salud informed Fruitas head coach Nash Racela in his letter stating his decision.

Erioubu’s mother is a Filipino but having born in Hong Kong, the six-foot-four forward must have an Order of Recognition from the immigration department to be eligible in the D-League.

The 20-year-old Erioubu, who also plays for Mapua, played for eight minutes and recorded two points on one-of-four shooting from the field.

Fruitas hopes to put the matter behind it when it battles Cebuana Lhuillier on November 8.

The Shakers will be favored to win with key cogs from three-time NCAA champion San Beda already available to give them a boost.