Lebanon Basketball Fans Banned from Games after Brawl
Local Editor
Lebanese sports minister declared that fans had been banned from attending Lebanese Basketball League games because of the risk of violence after a series of brawls that erupted between rival teams and their supporters.
"I have decided, after consultations with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, to totally ban fans from entering the stadiums until the end of the basketball tournament," Sports and Youth Minister Abdul-Muttaleb al-Hinawi said.
He warned that he "will not allow our stadiums to be turned from arenas of convergence and unity to strife and chaos."
"There is a lack of culture and sportsmanship spirit in Lebanon," Hinawi stressed, adding that "political corruption had leaked into the stadiums."
His remarks came a day after an on-court fight reportedly left five players injured during a game pitting Riyadi against Sagesse.
The melee Sunday at Manara was almost identical to last year's Game 4 scenes of the final series between both sides at Ghazir, when a fight began between Dewarick Spencer and Loren Woods, sparking similar scenes between Sagesse fans and Riyadi players.
Sunday's match was abandoned with 40 seconds to go after a huge brawl interrupted the game with Riyadi leading 109-98 in round 14 of the Lebanese Basketball League.
Tempers initially frayed when Riyadi's Ali Mahmoud and Sagesse's Terrell Stoglin engaged in a fight in which both players exchanged punches.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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