The Malta Basketball Association came down heavily on Hibernians and Depiro as both teams were kicked out of the men’s league with immediate effect after they were found guilty of bringing the game into serious disrepute during last weekend’s match.
Depiro coach James Bamfield and Mario Tabone, of Hibernians, were also suspended for the remainder of the 2021-22 season and the full 2022-23 campaign from all MBA activities.
The local governing body charged both Hibs and Depiro on the performance and behaviour shown by the two sets of players in the closing stages of the game last Saturday.
The incident, which took place for the final six minutes of the game, refers to the way both sets of players failed to score a single point as well as committing numerous violations and turnovers.
In a statement, the MBA Council said that over the past few days, they analysed the video footage of the match, especially the closing minutes, and heard the testimonies given by committee members, coaches and the captains of the teams involved.