French basketball players benefited from an arbitration error in the final seconds of their victory against Lithuania 78 to 75, Saturday in Nanjing, which qualified them for the quarter-finals, acknowledged Sunday the International Federation (Fiba).
With 30 seconds remaining and France leading by one point (76-75), pivot Rudy Gobert "cleaned" the circle on Jonas Valanciunas's second free throw, but he touched the arch at the same time. time as the ball, which is forbidden. Nando De Colo scored the last basket of victory over the next action.
Referees should have whistled "interference and give Lithuania a point"
Fiba admitted in a statement that the referees should have whistled "interference and give a point to Lithuania". The match score was not questioned despite a complaint from the Baltic team. The three referees, the Spaniard Antonio Conde, the Venezuelan Daniel Garcia Nieves and the Argentine Leandro Lezcano will not officiate until the end of the World Cup.
Lithuanian coach Dainius Adomaitis protested against the decision in a press conference after the match, but his French counterpart Vincent Collet said "the Lithuanians did not really have to complain about the whole match".