FIBA APOLOGIZES FOR CALLING CHINA’S BASKETBALL VICTORY ‘SNEAKY’
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) had to edit a post and issue an apology after using the word “sneaky” to describe China’s comeback victory over Japan in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
In the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian qualifying match held in Okinawa, Japan, on February 28th, China staged a comeback after trailing by 14 points in the second quarter.
Subsequently, FIBA‘s post with the caption “Drama in Okinawa. China with a sneaky win over Japan” immediately sparked controversy.
The word “sneaky”—connoting negative or disrespectful connotations—angered many Chinese fans, who flooded the comments section with criticism. One account wrote: “Who are you calling sneaky? Look at yourself.” Another countered: “This wasn’t a sneaky victory, China won deservedly.”
China Celebrates After Beating Japan At FIBA World Cup In Okinawa
Some comments also pointed to controversial referee decisions in the fourth quarter, claiming that China was called eight fouls in the last five minutes, while Japan only had two. Key guard Zhao Rui was also sent off after accumulating five personal fouls.
In response to the criticism, FIBA edited the caption to: “Drama in Okinawa. China turn things around in the second half and get the W against Japan.”
However, this move was not enough to appease public opinion. The incident continued to be a top trending topic on Chinese social media on March 1st.
That evening, FIBA issued an official statement to the Chinese national team, fans, and the entire Chinese basketball community. The organization acknowledged that “the language used in the post about the match result was inappropriate,” and affirmed that China’s victory “was built on talent, effort, and determination.”
FIBA stated that it had removed or edited all related posts on the platforms and wished China good luck in the remainder of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
FIBA Published Article Using Word “Sneaky” To Describe China’s Victory
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asia-Oceania regional qualifiers will begin in November 2025 and are expected to conclude in March 2027. The tournament will determine seven teams that qualify for the finals, in addition to host nation Qatar’s automatic qualification. In total, the region will have eight World Cup spots.
In the first round, 16 teams are divided into four groups of four, playing a round-robin format with home and away matches. The top three teams from each group advance to the second round. In the group containing Qatar, only two teams advance, as the host nation already has a guaranteed spot. China, currently third in Group B of the first round, is eligible to advance.
The second round consists of 12 teams, divided into two groups of six. Teams carry their results against opponents they qualified for in the first round. Each team then plays a home and away match against the remaining three teams from their group that they haven’t previously faced.
At the end of the second round, the top three teams in each group, along with the best-performing fourth-placed team, will qualify for the 2027 World Cup, completing the list of representatives from the Asia-Oceania region participating in the FIBA-organized world basketball tournament.
Conclusion
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