Lithuania had made a strong recovery from having dropped by 16 points in the third period. It was 74-76 when NBA star Jonas Valanciunas got two penalties for Lithuania with 30 seconds left to play during Saturday's group game match.

He put it first for 75-76 and in the second the French player Rudby Gobert knocked the ball off but was clearly on the ring edge before the ball was touched, which according to the rule book should give a point to the opponent. Instead of 76-76, Nando De Colo made 78-75 for France with a two-point shot with 15 seconds left to play, which became the final result of the match.

Crisp letter from Fiba gives Lithuania the right

The experienced refereeing trio from Spain, Venezuela and Argentina (together they have 27 years at international level) chose not to videotap the event and are now closed by the rest of the tournament of the international basketball association, Fiba.

"The correct verdict would have been an interference and a point would be awarded to Lithuania," Fiba writes in a statement, the AP states.

With the result, France went to the quarterfinals while Lithuania is eliminated.

Lithuania's coach Dainius Adomaitis was upset after the scandal.

- These guys spent all summer, two months, without their families. They did not receive a penny in compensation which gives them the greatest respect. But there are some who do not respect this sport. It's a damn joke, Adomaitis thunders at the press conference.

Jonas Valanciunas, who was at the center of the penalty shootout, played with this year's NBA Champion Toronto Raptors from 2012 to February of this year when he was drafted for the Memphis Grizzlies. He has an annual salary of SEK 155 million.