The first match of the Fonbet Friendship Cup, which is taking place in Perm from August 21 to 25, turned into a scandal. The local club Parma met with the Colombian team and simply destroyed the opponent – 155:53. The defeat of the national team is shocking, and the Russian team won the first quarter with a score of 41:2.

However, it soon became known that it was not the national basketball team that played against Parma, but impostors! At the same time, Colombian sports officials initially promised to send a real national team. In the end, the deception resulted in an international scandal.

The most interesting thing is that in Colombia they do not understand how such a situation could happen.

The guys from the neighboring yard

And although the Colombian national team is not among the top teams in world basketball, and the team did not qualify for the last two World Championships, the crushing defeat to Parma seemed strange. Is Colombia’s level really that low?

It soon became clear that impostors had come to Perm. The national team included only one professional basketball player, and he was a former one. Two more guys play exclusively in the 3×3 format. And the rest are just amateurs who pick up the ball only in their free time. It turns out that a yard team came to the tournament in Russia! And the players were brought not by the coach of the Colombian national team Guillermo Moreno, but by a certain Jorge Vasquez, who worked only with students. Vasquez even gave a comment after the match.

“Parma plays very well and makes very accurate throws. It is a very interesting experience for us to play against such a technical opponent. The team’s task now is to rest and then think about how to counter strong Russian players,” Vazquez said after the game.

Colombian National Team / Photo: © RFB

At the same time, Parma’s opponent played in the uniform of the Colombian national team! And in the poster these guys were called the national team.

Who brought them?

The news of the crushing defeat of the basketball players reached Columbia. The local federation immediately responded to what happened.

— The Colombian Basketball Federation has not received an official invitation to participate in the Russian Friendship Cup. The Colombian Basketball Federation has not given approval to any club or educational institution in the country to participate in the Russian Friendship Cup.

The Colombian Basketball Federation will take legal action against any improper use of our image or logo without prior permission, the federation said in a statement.

The Colombians can be understood: some no-names came, put on the national team uniform and disgraced basketball in a fairly large South American country.

The Colombians have deceived even themselves

The statement by Colombian sports officials also received a reaction in Russia.

— The match involving the team declared as the Colombian national team was organized in full compliance with official documents and confirmations. All communications and interactions with the Colombian Basketball Federation were carried out through official channels, which eliminates any doubts about the legitimacy of this team’s participation in the tournament, — the press release of the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) says.

In addition, the Colombian Basketball Federation (FCB) notified the Russian side of its team’s participation in the tournament in Perm, signed by the organization’s president. No letters of refusal to participate from Colombia were received by the Russian side. This follows from an official letter that was obtained by Match TV.

Official letter from FCB about the participation of the Colombian team in the Friendship Cup in Perm / Photo: © Match TV

However, the Latin American country did not send the first or even the second composition of the national team. For some reason, Colombia decided to organize a loud international scandal out of nowhere. Because of the whole situation, the tournament format will be changed. This was announced by the President of the Russian Basketball Federation Andrei Kirilenko.

Andrey Kirilenko / Photo: © Dmitry Golubovich / Global Look Press / Global Look Press

— After the first game, we understand that the current level of the Colombian team is below what was expected, which causes some disappointment for all of us. In this regard, we have already revised the schedule and format of the tournament to ensure a more balanced and competitive competition.

Such situations, although rare, can happen in sports, and we promptly take measures to resolve them, Russian Basketball Federation President Andrei Kirilenko told Match TV.