Italian club forfeits Champions League play-in after finishing with one player
italian-club-forfeits-champions-league-play-in-after-finishing-with-one-player
MIES, Switzerland — Trapani Shark’s European campaign ended Tuesday when the Italian team was left with a single player on the floor and had to forfeit its FIBA Basketball Champions League play-in opener against Hapoel Netanel Holon.
The contest, staged in Bulgaria, began with only five Trapani players available, two of whom were making their professional debuts. Three players ceased playing during the first quarter for undisclosed reasons. With roughly three minutes remaining in the period, a fourth Shark fouled out, leaving just one teammate eligible.
Champions League regulations require each club to have at least two players ready to play. Officials halted the game immediately, awarding Holon a 38-5 victory and, under tournament rules, the best-of-three series as well. The matchup was Game 1 of the play-ins that determine the final slots in the round of 16.
Trapani, reportedly grappling with severe financial difficulties, said it showed up to avoid what it called a “draconian” €600,000 ($700,000) penalty for skipping the fixture. The club has already been fined and placed under sanctions by the Italian Basketball Federation this season and opted not to appear for a domestic league game against Virtus Segafredo on Sunday.
Source: ESPN
