December 02, 2022, 06:18 PM
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A Singaporean basketball player let his emotions get the better of him and punched a referee during a game in Malaysia's Major Basketball League (MBL).
The incident happened during a match between teams Singapore Adroit and Pegasus Sports, on Nov. 26 in Batu Pahat town in the Malaysian state of Johor.
Poh Wei Hao, who played guard for Singapore Adroit, struck an official, Zu Xu, Joeseph Ho as he was unhappy about the referee's call of a technical foul.
Poh had elbowed a player from the opposing team, Lee Jia-Jun, in the face, which led to a technical foul being called.
In basketball, technical fouls are commonly called for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Poh has since been suspended for two years on top of the RM10,000 (S$3,082) fine that the club had to pay due to his "violent conduct", according to a statement by MBL on its Facebook page.
Not a good look
In a livestream of the match on the Major Basketball League YouTube channel, the incident can be seen starting around the 1:50:36 mark.
Poh and Lee were both trying to get possession of the ball.
Lee got to the ball first, but collides with Poh, who had his left elbow up.
Poh's elbow hits Lee, causing him to fall to the ground, clutching his face.
Ho, the referee, then decided to call a technical foul.
Poh can then be seen arguing with the referee.
In a replay around the 1:51:24 mark, Poh can be seen wildly swinging at the referee in frustration over the call.
He was immediately pushed aside by his teammate in an attempt to calm things down.
GIF via video by Major League Basketball on YouTube.
Security personnel and coaches had to escort Poh out of the court as the game was paused.
Incident has been resolved
In an Instagram post by Major Basketball League, Singapore Adroit coach, Chan Sian Gay and Poh offered their apologies to referee Ho and Pegasus Sports player Lee.
The post showed Poh and Ho shaking hands, and said there was a "peaceful ending" to the incident.
Ho graciously accepted the apology and agreed to "let bygones be bygones", according to the post.
Top Photo via Major Basketball League
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