NBL finalists Adroit disqualified after fielding suspended players in semi-final win

SINGAPORE – National Basketball League (NBL) Division 1 finalists Adroit have been thrown out of the tournament for “fielding suspended and ineligible players” who are under investigation for allegedly fixing league games in their semi-final win over Siglap on Aug 27.

The Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) disciplinary committee delivered the verdict on Sept 24, four days after the Zoom hearing. But there was no decision on the date for the final and whether Siglap will take Adroit’s place as default winners of the semi-final clash.

Adroit, the defending champions, were due to face Eng Tat Hornets in the decider, which was moved from Aug 30 to Sept 7, before it was postponed indefinitely.

In its written decision on Sept 24, BAS noted that the provisional suspensions imposed on the two Adroit players “shall remain in force until the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) concludes its investigations” or until further order of the disciplinary committee or appeals committee.

It added: “The suspensions are strictly temporary in nature and serve to preserve the fairness and credibility of BAS competitions until the external investigations are complete.

“Team Adroit is hereby disqualified from the National Basketball League Division 1 competition for fielding suspended and ineligible players in the semi-final... The violation is aggravated by the reliance on statements that were untruthful as to the players’ arrest status.”

Adroit and their two suspended players have 48 hours to appeal, and their coach Chan Sian Gay indicated to The Straits Times that they will be contesting the decision.

He said: “BAS has no basis to suspend our players as it did not hold any investigation and hearing to let them be represented and defended, and to determine any wrongdoing, as required by the BAS constitution, before it issued the suspension letters.

“We will defend their right to play and are prepared to take the matter to court if necessary.”

On Aug 19, the CPIB announced the arrest of eight Singaporeans and one permanent resident aged between 19 and 35 for their suspected involvement in match-fixing in the NBL. One of the matches that was allegedly fixed was Tagawa’s 66-43 win over Tong Whye on Aug 1.

The following day, the BAS said that it would allow the league to continue as scheduled, citing fairness to the teams and players who have trained hard for the competition. It stated then that “any officials or players under arrest or who have been arrested will be immediately suspended from all league activities”.

ST understands that more individuals were subsequently called in by the CPIB to assist with investigations and on Aug 21, the BAS issued suspension letters to eight players – two each from Adroit, Tagawa, Tong Whye and Chong Ghee.

However, Adroit questioned the BAS’ grounds of suspension, claiming that no charges have been filed against the two players in question.

On the day of the semi-final, the two players were allowed to play after signing declaration forms which stated they had not been arrested for any offence, and did not have any holding charges against them in relation to match-fixing. It also noted that they were on release under bail or bond.

After the semi-final, the BAS was to have convened a disciplinary committee hearing on Aug 29 to address the matter, but Adroit and the players declined to attend, citing the lack of adequate time to prepare for it.

Similarly, they asked for an adjournment of the rescheduled hearing on Sept 5, noting that the players had coaching commitments that clashed with the date.

They also objected to the inclusion of Tong Whye representative Koh Kah Tiong as one of three disciplinary committee members, alleging that the latter’s club are directly involved in the match-fixing investigations.

When the hearing did take place, the disciplinary committee comprising Seetoh Kum Loon, David Lau and Chin Wan Qing found that the Aug 21 suspension notices were valid and effective and both players were therefore ineligible to compete in the semi-final.

It determined that their signed declarations “were not truthful” as they “had in fact been arrested and were out on bail at the material time”.

It added: “By relying on these untruthful statements and allowing the players to take part, Team Adroit fielded suspended and ineligible players in the semi-final match. This was a clear regulatory breach of both the suspension orders and the Division 1 tournament rules and regulations.

“Such conduct, if left unaddressed, would severely undermine the integrity of BAS competitions and public confidence in the sport.”