Chinas basketball administration has handed out a record 330,000 yuan ($48,290) fine to two clubs and five players for a brawl during a playoff game last weekend. Chinas attempt to bring more contact into the domestic game has resulted in an increase in violence on court and more fines from the governing body, officials say.
The non-contact style previously prevalent in the league was criticised for producing players not tough enough for the international game. The five players were banned for two-to-five games and fined between 20,000 and 60,000 yuan, while five others were issued warnings, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) said. The champions Guangdong Tigers were fined 50,000 yuan and the opposing team Shandong Gold were penalised the same amount.
"The discipline commission does not regard this incident as massive fighting but it still had a terribly negative impact on the CBA league," said a report investigating the incident on the associations website. Shandong Gold lost the home game 126-79 and were eliminated from the CBA quarter-finals 3-0. A foul by a Guangdong Tigers player triggered the incident at the end of the last Sundays game.
Two Shandong Gold players, who were earlier ejected, returned to the court with seven substitutes and a foreign player from Guangdong Tigers. A majority of the players were restrained before they could make any contact, the report added, except for two opponents, who were handed the biggest fines of 60,000 and 50,000 yuan for their role in the skirmish.