Lebanese Fans to be Banned from Basketball Games

Youth and Sports Minister Abdel Motleb Hennawi stated on Monday that Lebanese fans will be banned from attending the basketball games following Sunday's skirmishes during a game between arch-rivals Riyadi and Sagesse, As Safir daily reported.

The minister held consultations with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq where they agreed to ban fans from attending the games until the competition is over, the daily added.

Hennawi stated angrily “I will not allow the sports courts to be transformed from areas of unity into sedition and chaos.”

A round 14 of the Lebanese Basketball League between the Riyadi and Sagesse was abandoned on Sunday, 48 seconds before its end, when a mass brawl that included punches erupted between Riyadi's Ali Mahmoud and Sagesse's Terrel Stoglin.

The game took place on the Manara Stadium with Riyadi leading 109-98.

According to LBCI footage, Stoglin was the initiator when he punched Mahmoud in the neck. The latter could not but retaliate with several punches in return. Things got even worse when skirmishes passed off to fights between security personnel and fans.

Sagesse team decided to withdraw from the game saying that four of its players were injured in the fight.

Half an hour later the referee awarded the derby to Riyadi on the basis of Sagesse's withdrawal.

Lebanese Basketball Federation President Walid Nassar said that “players from both teams were injured in the fight and that Sagesse decided to discontinue the game for players' injury and security reasons as well.”

However, he explained that the federation has nothing to do with the result because it is strictly the “jurisdiction of the referees.”

President of the Sagesse basketball team Nadim Hakim later told VDL (100.5) radio that "the Federation's decisions are what brought us to where we stand."

Riyadi player Ali Mahmoud apologized via twitter saying: “I would like to apologize to the Lebanese basketball federation, the Lebanese basketball teams (managers, coaching staff and players) and the great Lebanese fans to whom I would not be where I am today without.

“I have always played the game clean and hard, it's too bad some people choose to play dirty which lead to unfortunate incidents and gave the game a bad ending. Hopefully we can learn from this so that the same scenario doesn't occur again and enjoy playing and watching this great season of Lebanese league basketball."

D.A.

G.K.