If footage of attack not released, Turkish team could withdraw from Eurobasket tournament

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) – If FIBA officials fail to produce all the footage from around a Türkiye-Georgia match last weekend where Turkish players were allegedly attacked, they risk the Turkish team withdrawing from the EuroBasket tournament, said a top national basketball official on Monday.

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, must produce all the “minute by minute” footage from the corridors around the Türkiye-Georgia 2022 EuroBasket Group A match played in Tbilisi on Sunday, or the Turkish team will “leave the tournament,” said Omer Onan, general coordinator of the Turkish Basketball Federation, in a statement.

Once everyone can see the security footage, the truth will emerge, he added.

Near the end of the game Türkiye's Furkan Korkmaz was disqualified for arguing, and on the way to the locker room, Korkmaz and other Turkish players were attacked by some Georgian players and police, the Turkish side claims.

FIBA has yet to issue an official statement on the claims.

- 'Our team was beaten up by Georgian police'

Three Georgian players attacked Korkmaz as soon as he went to the locker room, head coach Ergin Atman told reporters on Monday. "Our staff also went in and hid Furkan in the coach's room. It's ridiculous that such a thing happens in the FIBA organization. This will all show up in the footage." he added.

"As our team was going to the locker room, they were beaten by the Georgian police and pushed into the locker room," said Ataman. "This cast a huge shadow over FIBA's organization."

Ataman also complained about conditions at the tournament. "From day one, it took 45-50 minutes to travel (to the stadium). There’s not enough police protection. Not enough food is provided for sports nutrition. Despite all this, we will continue our struggle."

Ataman, who himself was ejected from the game over a foul, also said the matter of 22 seconds lost due to the dispute between Korkmaz and Georgia's Duda Sanadze, some four minutes before the game ended, was mishandled.

"We made the necessary legal objection while the match was still going,” he said, adding: “We’re waiting for FIBA to replay the match or replay the last four-and-a-half minutes of the game.”