PUE - Puerto Rico takes tough stance on absentees

SAN JUAN (FBPR) - The Puerto Rican Basketball Federation (FBPR) have announced that players who refuse to play for the national team will be banned for between three and five years.

FBPR president Hector Reyes announced it as a warning to all players who have refused to confirm their availability for the upcoming international competitions.

Chief among them is centre Daniel Santiago, who has been included in coach Julio Toro's preliminary squad for the FIBA World Championship but is still debating whether to make himself available.

"We say this for Daniel Santiago, for the situation we had last year with the Cabrera sisters (Yahimilly and Yoliana), for Josue Soto and others," said Reyes.

The Cabrera sisters were given a one-year suspension in 2004 for having refused to be part of Team Puerto Rico in a tournament in Havana, Cuba, while Soto missed the U18 FIBA Americas Championship played in the United States, quoting university exams as his reason.

The suspensions will mean players who refuse to play for the national team will not be allowed to play in any domestic league, or transfer to play in an overseas competition.

"These decisions were already included in statutes, but we'll be more energetic by imposing the bans," added Reyes.

Under the new rules, players who refuse to play for the first time will receive a three-year ban, while repeat offenders can be handed up to a five-year ban.

PA Sport