UAAP: No forfeiture, but Ateneo’s Perasol to serve suspension in game vs UST

Blue Eagles coach Bo Perasol. Photo by pba-online.net

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo dodged a forfeiture of its 77-72 win over University of the East, but its head coach will miss the Blue Eagles’ crucial tiff against University of Santo Tomas next Wednesday.

By being at Mall of Asia Arena during his supposed suspension last Sunday against the Warriors, Bo Perasol violated the league’s rule that a suspended coach must not be at the playing venue.

So the UAAP board on Thursday ordered Perasol to serve out the one-game ban he incurred for charging at a fan during the Ateneo-La Salle match on September 1.

“Coach Bo was in the game venue when he was supposed to be serving his suspension, that is why the board decided that he should be serving the penalty,” said UAAP secretary-treasurer Malou Isip.

Isip stressed that the board is not imposing a second suspension on Perasol, but merely ordering him to serve ban.

Perasol won’t be at the sidelines as the Blue Eagles try to salvage their final four bid. They dropped to fifth place (7-6) on Wednesday after absorbing a 65-70 defeat to National University.

UE’s Ralf Olivares, meanwhile, was given a warning for also violating a rule that suspended players must not be at the team’s bench or the immediate vicinity.

Both camps earlier filed separate clarification letters to the UAAP board. Ateneo and UE representatives did not join the deliberation at the Casa Español in Manila.