The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) informed the Belgian Federation (Basketball Belgium) at 1:30 a.m. on Monday that the first round match of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers between Serbia and Belgium will continue on Monday evening (7:00 p.m.) at nis. The match had been interrupted after barely 2 minutes and 6 seconds of play in the first quarter due to “a technical problem related to the lighting on the sitefrom Sports Center Cair in Nis. Belgium led 3-6 at the score.
Basketball Belgium announced on Monday that, despite disagreeing with the decision, the Lions would play the match. FIBA justified its decision “in the name of the regularity of the competition and the organization of the second round of the 2023 World Cup, ignoring any sporting sanction for the lack of organization of the host nation“ underlines the Belgian federation.
“Although contesting the motivation of this unilateral decision but which leaves no opportunity for appeal, Basketball Belgium has taken the decision to align the Belgian Lions this evening taking into account the consequences, direct and indirect, that a refusal to participate in the encounter” she says again on her site.
