It was a dark night on Monday as the basketball face-off between Australia and the Phillipines erupted into an all out, on-court brawl.
The shocking melee started towards the end of the third quarter after an overtly physical altercation between Australia’s Boomers’ Chris Goulding and Filipino guard Roger Ray Pogoy in the World Cup qualifier in front of a packed Manila stadium.
VIEW THE EXTENDED VIDEO OF THE FIGHT AND AFTERMATH
Australia’s Daniel Kickert lashed out in response with a viscous forearm to the face of Pogoy, prompting the all-in fight.
The ensuing mayhem on the court involved players, team staff and some fans throwing punches, kicks and even chairs at each other.
When the dust settled, a number of players were ejected from the arena, leaving the Philippines to take on Australia in a bizarre three versus five farce which was eventually brought to an end by the Filipino captain fouling himself out. The Boomers officially won the match 53 – 88.
“It’s a real black eye for the sport,” Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze said after the incident, according to the ABC.
“The way in which we want the game to be projected is severely compromised.”
Gaze said he expects players on both teams to be severely punished. FIBA, the international basketball authority, are investigating.