Basketball is a well-known sport in China, and perhaps the most watched compared to martial arts, Volleyball, and table tennis which equally have a very substantial following in the country. It is a highly esteemed sport in China. As reported, a record-breaking audience of more than 190 million watched the September 2007 Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian match, the largest count for a single sporting event thus far.
Interestingly, Yao Ming, the present boss of the FBA was then the nation’s leading basketball player, whose records are yet to be broken. Many people agree that he is the reason behind the tremendous attention, paid to the country’s competitions by different sports betting houses. He took over the CBA leadership position in 2017. After undergoing the Covid-19 challenge, just when everything was about to return to normal, he once again finds himself in another tough situation.
Unfair treatment
Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers sent shock waves down the spine of fans by the end of February 2023 when they announce their exit from the league, especially because when the announcement came in they were the seventh on the ranking list and were scheduled for a game after a season break.
The current crisis is said to have been caused by one year ban imposed by the CBA on Xinjiang, prohibiting them from signing any new players. The reason? Well, according to the CBA, Xinjiang had violated a regulatory policy on the registration of new players.
On this account, the Tigers withdrew in protest against any wrongdoing. Claiming they had not received any explanations from the CBA of the legal basis of the ban, Xinjiang exited the league, saying it was “full of chaos.”
Crossfire
Amidst this turmoil is caught one of the country’s best players, Zhou Qi, who had since been in dispute with the Tigers bosses, saying they continue to force him to stay against his wishes. The star even accuses Guo Jian, president of the Tigers of sending him threatening text messages.
“I was sent texts by Guo Jian, the chairman, including, ‘you cannot just go anywhere you want,’ and, ‘stop daydreaming, I will not let you go even if I have to risk my life!’
We express our regrets
Responding to the ongoing situation and the Xinjiang claims, CBA president, Yao Ming, said the team has by no doubt made huge contributions to the country’s basketball. Thus, says Yao, “We respect its decision and express regret…Our top priority now is to bring the league and the games back to the fans.”
“I admire the ‘creativity’ of (Guanghui) regarding the violations. Sadly, it has been unable to turn around on its road of deception. It’s gone further downhill”. The penalty, says Yao, “is fair and objective”.
The situation has been regarded as a “nuclear explosion in the basketball world” by most fans. With 19 teams left, tough and swift decisions would have to be made; meaning punters should check out top free basketball betting tips to adjust their strategies accordingly.
