ITA - Benetton play-off bid fails

NAPLES (Lega A) - Benetton Treviso's season is over after the famous Italian team's appeal failed to win back enough points from their punishment for sporting fraud.

Treviso lost 95-85 to Carpisa Napoli on Sunday to finish four points below the play-off zone.

Last Friday, they had hoped their appeal would wipe away most, if not all of the 15-point deduction for sporting fraud, but the Italian Olympic Committee gave Benetton just three points back.

That meant Benetton needed to win against Napoli, and hope that other results went their way, in order to reach the play-offs.

"I am proud of this team and of this club," Benetton coach David Blatt said.

"We have had a very difficult year but everyone showed great professionalism in confronting a very difficult situation.

"And I think at the end that the results were positive: we have won a Super Cup and a Coppa Italia and this, despite an extraordinary run of bad luck, is a testament to the players.

"My analysis of this season is positive and we will exit with our heads held high."

Benetton's absence means the Italian play-offs will have a very different look as this is the first time since the 1989-90 campaign that they will not be in the post-season.

The Treviso club got into trouble after signing Slovenian international Erazem Lorbek on loan from Unicaja Malaga earlier this year.

It was a mistake because Lorbek's arrival put them over the limit for registered players.

After discovering the error, a club official complicated the situation by attempting to un-register another member of the team and that led to Benetton being found guilty of sporting fraud.

CONI (the Italian Olympic Committee) reduced what had been a 15-point penalty to 12 last Friday.

As for Blatt, he would not be drawn about his future.

"It's too soon to speak about that and the actual situation is very fluid," he said. "We will speak about that later."

Referring to the 95-85 defeat at the hands of Eldo Napoli that ended their campaign, Blatt said: "Napoli were more accurate with their shots, we were not.

"I am convinced of the fact that every team goes out on court to win, whatever the circumstances of the match."

Tom Ross
FIBA