EASL upholds Meralco win

EASL has upheld Meralco’s 85-76 win over Taoyuan in Ilagan, Isabela, last Saturday even as the Bolts offered a rematch in the spirit of sportsmanship. Under EASL rules, a team may enlist two world imports, a naturalized player and an Asian heritage recruit but only three are allowed to be on the court at the same time. A misunderstanding of the rule led to Meralco leaving Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Ismael Romero, Sina Vahedi and Ange Kouame on the floor for 4:58 minutes in the first quarter and 4:22 minutes in the second. EASL noted that Meralco scored 22 points and Taoyuan 15 during the total 9:20 minutes that the four played together.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

“I have spoken directly with coach Luigi (Trillo) and coach (Lurgi) Caminos, both of whom acknowledge that this was not an intentional act but rather an oversight by the FIBA game official who failed to recognize or enforce the rule at the moment,” said EASL CEO Henry Kerins. “Meralco has proactively offered to schedule a rematch against Taoyuan but considering the score differential, Taoyuan has expressed satisfaction with the outcome as it stood. We have also requested FIBA that we do not have the same game commissioner as the rules need to be enforced in real time during these games. I have personally spoken with FIBA to ensure they understand that EASL considers the incident in Isabela was un