South Korea appeal on Fiba World Cup qualifying forfeiture denied–report

FILE – South Korea before its game against the Philippines in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark, Pampanga. Photo from Fiba

MANILA, Philippines—South Korea’s appeal following its disqualification in the 2023 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers has been denied by International Basketball Federation (Fiba), a report said.

The Korea Basketball Association decided not to send a team in the February window of the qualifiers due to COVID-19, leading to the country’s forfeiture of games that led to its disqualification from the competition.

Citing “force majeure,” the Korean federation had appealed the disqualification to Fiba.

“We tried to prevent this at the association level. An official letter was sent using the expression ‘force majeure.’  Too many players have been confirmed in the national team, and there may be another confirmed case after leaving the country. They submitted a lot of data, including PCR test results, and suggested adjusting the schedule,” an unnamed KBA official said in a story on Korean publication Jumpball.

“However, FIBA said, ‘I understand Korea’s position, but I dismiss it according to the competition rules.’ We tried our best, but we received a disappointing answer,” the official added.

South Korea was supposed to play four games in the window, which took place at Araneta Coliseum, including two games against Gilas Pilipinas.

In the Fiba website, South Korea’s schedules in the qualifying windows have been removed and only the Philippines, India, and New Zealand remain in Group A.

Despite the outcome, the KBA insisted that it made the right decision to skip the tournament.

“I think it was the best choice not to send a team to the preliminary round. There is something more important than the World Cup,” a KBA representative said.

“We don’t know what other sanctions will come out other than disqualification from the World Cup qualifiers. An official letter for dismissal is being prepared again. Of course, it is true that it is not an easy situation considering international customs,” he said.