Referees slammed at Tianjin tournament

TIANJIN: Lebanon's head coach, Dragan Raca, launched a harsh attack on the referees after his team's narrow 72-68 semifinal loss to China at the Asian Championship in Tianjin on Saturday.

His criticism came on the heels of South Korea boycotting the final seconds of their 5-6 place playoff against Chinese Taipei on the same day due to the officiating.

"Everybody saw the referee helped them win," said Raca. "China are such a strong team and they have the ability to win; they do not need a referee to help them. It's an important match for us because making the final means the chance to go to the World Championships," the Cypriot said.