KOREA coach Cho Sang Hyun may not see the Philippines as a rival, but a part of the team's delegation certainly did.
Reporter Han Pil Sang, who was part of the Korean team that flew to Clark for the third window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers, wrote "excessive home territoriality and nonsensical operation of the tournament were enough to embarrass Korea."
In his dispatch to Korean sports site Jumpball, Han claimed a few lapses in the staging of the games which he felt affected the Korean team's progress, including the alleged non-compliance of Gilas to practice schedules inside the Clark bubble.
"The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), the organizer of the tournament, asked for cooperation in strong quarantine measures. Of course, it was an issue that should be applied to all teams, so Korea actively cooperated and even accepted the 45-minute training session per day without complaint," he wrote.
"In fact, the Philippines was the only country that did not apply this rule among the participating countries. The 45-minute official training time was overdue, and the protesting teams were told that the time was delayed due to quarantine reasons."
In his report, Han also pointed to the alleged presence of VIPs in the venue, writing, "despite the bubble, 40-50 spectators were allowed to enter the game against the Philippines in the name of VIP without fail."
Photos from the bubble did show a number of unauthorized people inside the Angeles University Foundation Gym, including Marc Pingris who was seen snapping a photo with Korean naturalized player and his former Star teammate Ra Gun-A.
Another issue Han raised were the recurring referees for all four games of Korea, saying, "Of course, it happened because some international referees were not dispatched due to COVID-19, but especially in the games with the Philippines, their judgments were often incomprehensible."
Leong Chuen Wing of Singapore, Rabah Noujaim of Lebanon, and Ahmed Al-Shuwaili of Iraq did officiate all four games for Korea, but the three also whistled the other Group A games in the bubble except for one, the game between Indonesia and Thailand, which was supervised by Korean official Lee Kyoung-hwan and Filipino referees Ricor Buaron and Joenard Garcia.
In all, there were only nine referees at Fiba's disposal, with Bong Pascual of the Philippines and Indonesia's Harja Jaladri and Budi Marfan calling the Group B games involving China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.
Han also took exception to a rule which allowed players to enter the court only an hour before the start of games, although this should be because of the disinfection of the venue in between matches.
"It is a public fact that home territoriality exists unknowingly," he ended.
Korea went 2-2 in its games here, winning against Indonesia and Thailand and losing both of its matches against Gilas Pilipinas to finish second in Group A with a 4-2 card - good enough for a place in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup.
Despite Han's accusations, Korean player Lee Seoung Hyun expressed his gratitude for the Philippines' hosting of the event, noting, through a translator, "The facility in the Philippines especially here was great overall so I think I had a great experience."
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