Eala eyes wildcard ticket for RP

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Noli Eala said yesterday he will appeal to FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball) secretary-general Patrick Baumann for a wildcard ticket to next year’s World Championships in Saitama, Japan, on condition the country resolves the sport’s leadership crisis as a prerequisite to the lifting of its suspension.

"Our dream of playing in the World Championships is still alive," said Eala. "We’re not giving up. The PBA Board has decided to keep the national program intact but will restudy the situation in November if the problem between the BAP (Basketball Association of the Philippines) and the PBF (Philippine Basketball Federation) is still unresolved."

FIBA will designate the four countries to receive wildcard tickets to the World Championships at its Central Board meeting in November. The wildcard picks will be countries that failed to qualify in the five regional eliminations for the World Championships.

The Philippines was disqualified from participating in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championships where the top two finishers, Malaysia and Indonesia, will play in the FIBA-Asia tournament in Doha starting tomorrow. Aside from Japan as host country, the top three placers in Doha will represent Asia in the World Championships on Aug. 19-Sept. 3 next year.

FIBA suspended the Philippines from participating in any of its sanctioned competitions because of the row between the BAP and the PBF. The BAP is FIBA’s country affiliate but lost its status as the National Sports Association (NSA) for basketball after its expulsion by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) General Assembly. The POC then recognized the PBF as the new NSA for basketball.

Eala said Baumann sent him a copy of FIBA’s decision affirming recognition of the BAP as its country affiliate and a personal note saying, "I believe (the PBA) can be instrumental in bringing all sides together for the sake of unity of Philippine basketball."

In a meeting the other day, the PBA Board of Governors issued a strong statement urging the BAP and the PBF to resolve their differences for the national interest.

"Our message is not threatening," explained Eala. "We’ve got a good system and a national program that works. The funding is assured through San Miguel Corp. Neither the BAP nor the PBF can claim the national team as theirs. It’s the PBA that has the program. Chot Reyes became the national coach when the PBA appointed him, not the BAP, not the PBF. We are offering our program, our coaches and our players to the country but our leaders must fix their problem and do what it takes to lift our FIBA suspension. Otherwise, our efforts are useless."

Eala said playing in Saitama will reintroduce the Philippines as a world contender and strengthen the national team’s chances of qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

There will be 24 countries playing in the World Championships. Confirmed to play are host Japan, Olympic champion Argentina, four qualifiers from FIBA Americas (Brazil, Venezuela, USA, Panama), three qualifiers from FIBA Africa (Angola, Senegal, Nigeria) and two qualifiers from FIBA Oceania (Australia, New Zealand). Three qualifiers from FIBA Asia and six qualifiers from FIBA Europe are still to be determined. The four remaining slots are for wildcards.

"The PBA has the ability to exert moral suasion on the BAP and the PBF," said Eala. "But our program is dependent on the lifting of our suspension. We are asking the BAP, PBF and POC to take advantage of this opportunity to use our program, coaches and players and not to stonewall our efforts for flag and country."

Eala said based on Baumann’s guidelines, FIBA will recognize only the BAP as its country affiliate.

"Whether we like it or not, that’s the decision and we just have to comply with the FIBA requirement," continued Eala. "It will mean a lot of sacrifice on everyone’s part. My suggestion is for the PBF to forget being the PBF and incorporate itself into a revamped, brand new BAP with a reconstituted duly-elected Board without those hand-picked regional directors and other undesirables. What was once the PBF with its stakeholders will be the BAP."

Eala said the only way FIBA will lift the suspension is if the country’s basketball stakeholders work through the BAP.

"It will be a different BAP in the end," he said. "I don’t think the POC will lose face if the BAP is totally revamped. The BAP will then apply for reinstatement as an NSA. This will be the permanent solution to our problem. The formation of the national team is no longer an issue. But what remains unresolved is the issue of leadership.

Eala said the call to disband the national team was never brought up in the PBA Board meeting.

"We all understood that if we disband the team, we wouldn’t have the legal personality to push for a resolution to this problem," said Eala. "It was the Board’s decision to take a strong stand because unless the suspension is lifted, we’ll be going nowhere."