San Marino-backed squad protests unfair ruling on player’s eligibility

For the first time in 12 years, history has repeated itself and it was not of the good kind.

The San Marino Corned Tuna-Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras forfeited its semifinal game against the Gaisano Capital-University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters in protest of what they deemed to be an unfair ruling regarding a player’s eligibility to play in the 5th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) Partners Cup late Monday night at the Cebu Coliseum.

This marks the first time that a team has forfeited its game since 1999. According to Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy, the last team to do it was the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) Skyblazers in the defunct Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA). That controversy paved the way for the CAAA to be shelved and the Cesafi to be born.

Gaisano was leading, 18-17, with 54 seconds left in the third when the UC head coach Rhoel Gomez sent in Gerald Ampoon to the game.

Ampoon, who was injured at the end of the first round of the eliminations, was not in the lineup of the squad for the second round.

According to SWU head coach Bong Bigontes, this meant he was not eligible to play in the semifinals.

However, tournament officials led by Danny Duran and Julian Macoy, in consultation with Tiukinhoy, gave the green light for Ampoon to play.

This decision was met by disdain by Bigontes and he opted to sit his team out for good, incurring the forfeiture of the game.

“Ginababoy na man sad nila ning ligaha. The rules clearly state that kinsa ra tong nalista sa second round, mao ra to ang muduwa for the remainder of the tournament,” said Bigontes after the game.

However, Tiukinhoy, in an interview immediately that same evening, said teams are allowed to change their team’s roster if they want.

“This is a preseason tournament and it is for the teams to test new players and see their abilities,” said Tiukinhoy.

Tiukinhoy also meted out a sanction for Bigontes, which was a suspension for the remainder of the Partner’s Cup.