A Chilling Mishap at the End of the Game for Opposing Players and Referees: Scafati Penalized

Cold showers, temperamental stopwatches, and fans with a bit too much to say. The latest bulletin from the Serie A basketball disciplinary committee features a series of measures that, beyond the penalties themselves, also raise a few smiles. The unwitting protagonists are Longobardi Scafati and S.Bernardo Cantù, who found themselves in the crosshairs of sports justice for decidedly different reasons.

In Scafati, evidently, the problem wasn’t just keeping the game’s intensity high. In the locker rooms reserved for the referees and the visiting team’s players, in fact, there was no hot water—a circumstance that triggered a warning under Article 38, paragraph 1c, of the Disciplinary Regulations. In short, after the exertions on the court, some players faced the risk of having to endure a decidedly un-relaxing shower. A treatment fit for true tough guys, though hardly appreciated by those directly affected.

But Scafati’s misadventures didn’t end there. The club also received a second warning, this time for the malfunction of a precision timer, one of the pieces of equipment required for the proper conduct of the game. Between water that wouldn’t heat up and equipment that wouldn’t work, it was a day when even technology and the facilities decided to take a break.

While Scafati faced penalties for technical and logistical issues, the problem in Desio was decidedly noisier. S.Bernardo will, in fact, have to pay a fine of 1,200 euros for the collective and frequent insults directed at the referees and the Serie A Basketball League. Evidently, someone in the stands decided to participate in the game with their vocal cords as well—but went far beyond the limits permitted by the rules.

The result is a rather hefty bill for the Brianza-based club, which is now required to dig into its pockets to pay for the verbal excesses of its fans.