The Malta Basketball Association came down heavily on Alan Borg this week, handing the Luxol guard a four-year ban from all basketball activities for violent conduct in a match against Virtus Cynergi.

Borg was punished after seriously injuring Virtus player Anton Axiaq midway through the third quarter of the BOV KO tie which Virtus went on to win 91-45.

Play was halted for several minutes on Sunday after Axiaq was elbowed in the head, leaving him unconscious for almost two hours.

After receiving medical attention on court, Axiaq required further treatment. He is now fully recovered after being discharged from hospital.

Borg was subsequently disqualified from the match when play resumed.

The MBA used television footage to review the incident. In their ruling, the disciplinary commission deemed that the current regulation, which stipulates a maximum 10-match ban for violent conduct, was not harsh enough in this case.

They acted according to the statute and referred the case to the President’s Council, recommending a minimum ban of one year for Borg. Late Thursday, the President’s Council initially decided on a two-year ban. However, the term was subsequently doubled to four years since Borg is a relapser as this was not the first disciplinary case against him.

MBA president Paul Sultana said the association has sent a clear message about its determination to stamp out foul play from the game.

“The decision to hand a two-year suspension doubled to four years (for relapsing) to Alan Borg is a clear sign of our determination to promote the true spirit of basketball in our competitions,” Sultana told Times of Malta yesterday.

“We don’t want such incidents to stain the game’s image and it is our responsibility to ensure that all stakeholders respect the values of fair play and discipline.”