FIBA suspends Lebanon - report

FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, has suspended Lebanon, according to Lebanese media, and as a result, the country will likely be ineligible for the upcoming FIBA Asia Championship, to be held in the Philippines in August.

FIBA had given Lebanon a strict deadline for its local basketball federation and several of its local basketball teams to sign a memorandum of agreement, with terms that included agreeing to restart the local professional league and to settle several legal cases outside of court.

According to the Daily Star, a Lebanese daily newspaper, the 2012-13 Lebanese Basketball League encountered several problems during the quarterfinals match-up between clubs Amchit and Champville, which saw multiple interventions by the local court to replay and reschedule games.

Amchit eventually withdrew from one of the contested games, but the Lebanese basketball federation made the bold decision to restart the league's Final Four match-ups, despite both semifinals series having already started, causing more confusion and turmoil. 

The Lebanese basketball federation failed to resolve the matter by the first FIBA-imposed deadline of July 5, and then again on July 12, resulting in the suspension.

Official confirmation of the suspension is said to be forthcoming, the Daily Star noted.

Lebanon was drawn into Group B for the FIBA Asia Championship, along with Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong. It is not currently known what nation would replace it. - AMD, GMA News