The France team benefited from a refereeing error in the last seconds of their victory against Lithuania (78-75), in Nanking, which qualified them for the quarterfinals of the World Cup in China, the International Federation (FIBA) recognized this Sunday ).
With thirty seconds remaining and France leading by one point (76-75), center Rudy Gobert touched the ring at the same time as the ball to avoid a Jonas Valanciunas goal after a free kick, something that is not authorized. Nando De Colo scored on the next play, to seal the French victory.
FIBA admitted in a statement that the referees should have whistled “interference” and “awarded a point to Lithuania”.
The match score will remain unchanged despite a claim from the Baltic team.
The three referees, the Spanish Antonio Conde, the Venezuelan Daniel García Nieves and the Argentine Leandro Lezcano, will not whistle more until the end of the World Cup.
Lithuanian coach Dainius Adomaitis protested this move at the post-match press conference, but his French counterpart Vincent Collet felt that “in the game as a whole Lithuanians really have no reason to complain.” afp