After Spain’s elimination from the FIBA World Cup, Alex Abrines commented on the officiating during the match and expressed strong criticism.
Spain has been eliminated from the FIBA World Cup. Canada emerged victorious with a comeback, winning 88-85. The Spanish national team’s guard directed sharp comments towards the referees in today’s match.
“The officiating was disappointing. There are many protagonists on the court, referees should not be among them. We are the main actors, not them,” said a disappointed Alex Abrines.
Throughout the entire tournament, officiating has been criticized. Firstly, Luca Banchi expressed his dissatisfaction after the match against Canada, even though three referees from the United States officiated that game.
What’s interesting is that FIBA assigned three referees from that same confederation for today’s match. They were Panaya from Panama, Fernandez from Argentina, and Reneau from the United States. Abrines continued his tirade against the referees.
“Not only today but throughout the whole tournament, the referees made poor decisions. I don’t want to say everything went against us; that’s not ultimately important. One day everything goes in our favor, the next day it goes against us,” emphasized the Barcelona guard.
On the other hand, his teammate Willy Hernangomez had a much more moderate view of the referee’s criteria during the tournament.
“They are people doing their job just like us. We lost because the Canadians played with much more desire than us. It has nothing to do with the referees,” Hernangomez pointed out.