BEBL Finals controversy: Appeals Tribunal rules game 3 between Defenders and Hurricanes to be replayed; Defenders disagree

Photo Credit: Belize City Defenders

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: The Belize Elite Basketball League’s Appeals Tribunal ruled that the controversial Game 3 which the Belize City Defenders won 87-86 over the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes on Friday, June 28 is to be replayed. However, according to BEBL Commissioner Glen Gill, the game won’t be replayed until Friday, July 26, since the Belize City Civic Center, where the Final Series is being played, will not be available until that date.

The Civic isn’t available as the Belize Volleyball Association has booked the facilities for the U-21 Belize Women’s National Team training in preparation for the XX U-21 Women’s Central American Volleyball Championship which the BVA is hosting from July 16-20 at that venue.

Gill said the Tribunal ruled on Wednesday that the game should be played over.

Gill said the Appeals Tribunal overruled the decision of the Protest Committee which had ruled that the final 36 seconds of the game be replayed. The Tribunal considered, Gill said, that to replay the game from the moment the game was disrupted.

The Hurricanes protested after two points were removed from their score and more time added to the time clock with possession to the Defenders.

“After a thorough review, the [Protest] committee confirmed that the referees had erred in their decision to use the Instant Replay System (IRS) to assess an 8-second violation, which is not permissible under the specific circumstances outlined in the FIBA rules,” the Hurricanes said in a June 30 press release.

“We expect that the last 36 seconds of game three will be played prior to the completion of game four but that is a decision the Defenders have held in reserve wild [sic] doing some internal consultations.”

The Defenders, who in fact appealed the decision based on the FIBA rule that referees’ decisions cannot be appealed, is in disagreement with the Appeals Trinunal’s decisions and is seeking further recourse.

“We have finally received a decision on our appeal lodged last Sunday and although the Appeals Tribunal agreed with us on the main points of our submission, including that it was a referee’s error, they failed however, to reach the same conclusion as we did, that a referee’s error cannot be protested,” the Belize City Defenders said in a press release posted on social media on Friday.

“The Appeals Tribunal has ordered the replay of the entire game. We vehemently disagree with this finding as it is contrary to FIBA’s Protest Procedures which prohibit protests from being lodged based on a referee’s error. It is illogical that on the one hand, the Appeals Tribunal would have agreed that it was a referee’s error BUT on the other hand, not find that as such, it could not be protested. We are therefore consulting with legal experts both here in Belize and abroad, to explore what legal recourse, if any, remains.”

The Defenders also said they were alarmed Commissioner Gill would set a date for the Game to be replayed without consulting them.

“Similarly, we are alarmed that the Commissioner of the BEBL has arbitrarily set dates for the resumption of the 2024 BEBL Finals without consulting with our organisation first,” the Defenders  said in their statement.

“This we believe, to be a modest expectation, since the 3rd and 4th games are our home games. The consistent neglect of duty and malfeasance on the part of the BEBL’s appointed bodies and the Office of the Commissioner as well as the strangle hold which one team seems to have over the decision making of all of them, must come to an end and we intend to be the organisation that brings order to the chaos that is the BEBL.”

Prior to Game 3, the Series was tied 1-1. The Hurricanes won Game 1 87-63 on Friday, June 21 but the Defenders took Game 2 62-61  on Sunday, June 23.

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