The final call has been made.
After hitting a referee in the face and back during his team’s match against Livermarin on Wednesday, Cagayan Valley coach Alvin Pua was banned for life from all PBA-related activities, in addition to being fined P500,000.
READ: Cagayan Valley coach hits referee in the face, back–report
In a statement, PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said basketball or any other sport for that matter had “no room for hotheads and hooligans.”
“This is the last straw,” Salud said. “In the highest interest of sportsmanship and the norms of human decency, the league is hereby imposing a lifetime ban on coach Pua from all PBA related activities for mauling a referee and for his recalcitrant and incorrigible demeanor.”
Pua was also sanctioned an amount of P500,000.
The PBA commissioner denounced Pua’s behavior as “despicable and offensive,” emphasizing that the recent incident was not the first time the Cagayan Valley coach was involved in a physical contact with game officials.
“It lays waste to the concept of sportsmanship and is a complete breakdown in a coach’s responsibility to do what is right for the sport and the fans,” he said.
In December, the Cagayan coach was fined P50,000 and banned for three games after a physical encounter with two referees. In 2012, Pua also served a three-game suspension after punching a referee in a practice match.
“Mauling a game official can never be justified in any way,” Salud added.
Cagayan Valley team manager Frederic Collado was also fined P100,000 for “criticizing the quality of officiating in order to justify coach Pua’s transgression.”
The statement said the office of the PBA commissioner would forward the decision to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to further ban Pua from all SBP-sanctioned tournaments.