The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and Basketball Australia (BA) have made a joint statement regarding the brawl that happened between Gilas Pilipinas and the Boomers in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers game on Monday at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
In the statement, which was prepared by SBP president Al Panlilio and BA president Ned Coten on Thursday, both basketball federations apologized to the basketball community for what transpired in the third quarter of the game where a free-for-all broke out.
"We deeply regret the events that took place during the game. The actions displayed have no place on any basketball court," the statement opened.
"We wish to apologize to the entire basketball community worldwide - and in particular to our fantastic fans in the Philippines and Australia - for the behavior displayed by both teams and for bringing the game of basketball into disrepute."
"We fully accept our responsibility and are collaborating in the ongoing proceedings to investigate the incidents. We will do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again," the statement continued.
"Basketball has a unique power to unite and we look forward to continuing bringing people together in the true spirit of friendship and sportsmanship in future games."
Since the incident, Gilas players, including members of the coaching staff, have issued apologies for their actions.
Following the fight, FIBA released a statement on Twitter on Monday evening, saying it will "now open disciplinary proceedings against both teams."
Both the Philippines and Australia are still waiting for the international basketball federation to give their ruling on the incident which is expected to come out in the following days.