Prince Eze. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Perpetual president and CEO Antonio Tamayo broke his silence and backed up his team’s claim that the NCAA committed a huge mistake when it decided to allow the game between the Altas and the St. Benilde Blazers to push through on July 11 despite already acknowledging the former’s problems with their uniforms.
“They were wrong to allow our team to play and penalized us twice by slapping us a technical foul and gave the other team a free throw before the game started and then forfeit it later,” Tamayo said in a statement.
Perpetual were meted a technical foul for wearing its dark uniform despite it being designated as the light team for the tiff.
The game ended with the Altas winning, 69-65, but the NCAA management committee (Mancom) decided to overturn the game and handed the victory to the Blazers.
Tamayo acknowledged that his side was also at fault for not having its white jerseys in time, but the game should have resulted in a forfeiture right from the get-go.
Perpetual has already filed its counter-protest over the Mancom’s decision on Wednesday.
Mancom chairman Fr. Glynn Ortega, OAR, of host San Sebastian and the rest of the Board are still convening on Monday afternoon to find a resolution for the issue.
But for Tamayo, the power should have been vested on commissioner Bai Cristobal to make the necessary action.
“The league should empower Commissioner Bai Cristobal and let him decide anything related to basketball matters,” he said. “I believe they should not forfeit the game under the process undertaken by the commissioner.”
The Altas are currently at the cellar with a 0-2 slate.