Guiao cries foul, says suspension gives Petron big advantage

MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is disappointed with his suspension saying it has given Petron an outright advantage to come back in their semifinal series of the PBA Philippine Cup.

Guiao was suspended for Game Five and asked to pay a fine of Php 100,000 for flashing a dirty finger towards the technical committee and PBA Commisioner Chito Salud while on his way to the locker room after getting ejected in the second half of Game Four.

(Read also: Dirty finger costs Guiao suspension, P100K fine)

It was the second straight game that Guiao was ejected and the league had to crack the whip on him for what they deemed as persistent conduct unbecoming of a coach.

“I’m disappointed because it’s like handing Petron the game on a silver platter. Hindi siya commensurate sa infraction. It gives Petron a really big advantage in our next game,” Guiao told Philstar.com in a telephone interview.

“Nawalan na kami ng Paul Lee (sprained ankle), we don’t know if he can play, broken nose na si Jervy Cruz tapos aalisin pa ako? I think it’s not justified,” Guiao added.

But the outspoken coach, who told his team and reporters after the hard-earned 88-83 win last Monday that they did not beat Petron but instead the referees, is glad that they’re up 3-1 in the series. He accepted the league commissioner’s decision with bitterness saying he’s not alone in his crusade against the poor officiating in the league.   

“Wala na tayong magagawa but the bottomline here is the bad officiating. Lahat ng pinagmulan naman ito ay yung maling tawagan. I just expressed my disgust on the officiating. I am not alone. It’s a prevalent sentiment in the league,” Guiao said.  â€œThat’s the first thing [officiating] that’s needed to be addressed.”

The Painters will have to outdo their Game Four performance especially with Lee and Cruz doubtful to play on Friday.

“Para mo kaming tinalian sa kamay tapos ilalaban mo kami sa napakalakas na team, I think that’s also an injustice to the fans,” Guiao added.

The mercurial coach has yet to talk to his top deputy Caloy Garcia but said he will discuss with the rest of the coaching staff about their plan for Friday’s game tomorrow at practice.