Hibs still hope for local solution before seeking FIBA intervention

Peugeot League club Hibs Go Mobile are still hoping a local solution would be found before putting a case of double registration, twice overruled by the Malta Basketball Association last week, in front of world body FIBA.

Hibs made it to the final play-offs in the women's league this season where they came up against perennial rivals Depiro Still. The latter fielded two players, currently on a stint in Sicily, but Hibs objected, saying Josephine Grima and Joselle Cardona are actually playing in competition and not just training with regional side Virtus Siracusa as many had previously thought.

Depiro won the opening two matches from a best-of-five series but in between Hibs were fighting on two fronts.

Their protest against what they termed 'a breach of a FIBA rule stating a player may not be licensed by more than one national federation at the same time' was not upheld and so was the subsequent appeal.

Hibs' reaction to the negative outcomes from the MBA boards was indeed drastic. On Sunday, they instructed their team not to play the third play-off.

"In the circumstances, some Hibs players were adamant not to play," Charles Deguara, Hibs Basketball Club president, said.

"Others were not in the right state of mind.

"There was also a high possibility of trouble on the terraces and on court had we honoured the fixture. The committee reluctantly decided it was better to incur a fine and avoid serious repercussions."

Deguara said 2005 marks the 20th year since Hibs started playing in MBA competitions. There were ups and downs along the way but there never were any grudges against anyone in the sport.

"Hibs have full trust in those running the game and fully support the national team," he said. "We never had any doubt about this but if no solution is found and we refer the matter to FIBA, no one should accuse us of damaging the game's reputation."

Legal adviser Dr Pio Valletta gave a chronology of how the facts evolved and what led Hibs to take the issue in front of the Protests Board.

He said there was little information about the role Grima and Cardona were playing in Sicily. However, a few weeks ago they obtained firm evidence that they were fully registered with the Italian federation and playing competitive basketball for Virtus.

"This goes against the spirit of the international registration rules," Dr Valletta said.

"No one should be allowed to play in two separate competitions organised by different federations. This was solid ground for us to base our protest.

"We thought the documents we presented were enough to convince the Protests Board. But they ruled otherwise and said FIBA regulations in this case were not binding for national federations.

"In its ruling the MBA said no international clearance had been issued and so no double registration was actually in place."

It seems that before making the move to Sicily, the two Depiro players had obtained the go-ahead from the association's general secretary in a letter dated October 20.

Dr Valletta said: "Policy-making at the MBA has its own guide-lines to follow. Does a letter from the general secretary allow someone to skip the real process of policy-making? We only came to know about the letter last week."

Hibs said they had informed Depiro delegates of their intention to launch a protest against the eligibility of Grima and Cardona.

"We were always looking to find a solution before the issue would reach this point," Dr Valletta said.

"When our case was in front of the Appeals Board we also proposed that the first two matches be declared null and the series starts again without the participation of the two Depiro players in question.

"But it seems that our battle had long been lost.

"Robert Ebejer, the Appeals Board chairman and ASA president, told us there were similar cases in waterpolo. But, if a double registration is allowed in other sport why should it apply to basketball as well? This is totally unfair."

Dr Valletta said other clubs are backing their position and all agree there should be a clear ruling about players' registrations in future.

MBA's reaction

In a statement late yesterday, the MBA officially declared Depiro champions after awarding them a walk-over following Hibs' no-show for the third play-off on Sunday.

Hibs had contested the competition rules in front of the Protests and Appeals Boards. They had every right to do so but their complaints were not upheld, the statement said.

As the ethics in sports demand, the club now has to accept all decisions no matter how hard they are.

The association added they had the right to administer according to their own rules, including the ones on players' eligibility.

This stance has FIBA's full backing. The world body says national federations have to establish their own regulations on players' eligibility.

These rules should act as guide-lines for the national federation to follow.