In a FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian qualifier match held in Okinawa, Japan on 28/2, China rallied to win after trailing by 14 points in the second half.
FIBA's social media post, which captioned the event as "Drama in Okinawa. China with a sneaky win over Japan", immediately sparked controversy.
The word "sneaky", carrying negative or disrespectful connotations, infuriated many Chinese fans, who flooded the comments section with criticism. One account wrote, "Who are you calling sneaky? Check yourself." Another retorted, "This was not a sneaky win; China's victory was entirely deserved."
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Zhao Jiwei (front) and his Chinese teammates celebrate after defeating Japan in a FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier in Okinawa on 26/2/2026. Photo: Xinhua |
Some comments also cited controversial referee decisions in the fourth quarter, claiming China was called for 8 fouls in the final 5 minutes, while Japan received only two. Key guard Zhao Rui was also forced to leave the court after committing 5 personal fouls.
Facing a wave of criticism, FIBA edited the caption to: "Drama in Okinawa. China turn things around in the second half and get the W against Japan."
However, this action was not enough to appease public opinion. The incident continued to be a top trending topic on Chinese social media on 1/3.
Later that evening, FIBA issued a formal statement to the Chinese national team, fans, and the entire Chinese basketball community. The organization acknowledged that "the language used in the post regarding the match result was inappropriate", and affirmed that China's victory was "built on talent, effort, and determination."
FIBA stated that it had deleted or edited all related posts across its platforms and wished China good results in the remainder of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
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FIBA posted using the word "sneaky" to describe China's comeback victory... |
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And then posted an apology message. |
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asia-Oceania Qualifiers began in November 2025 and are scheduled to conclude in March 2027. The tournament will determine seven teams to qualify for the finals, in addition to host Qatar's automatic berth. The region has a total of eight World Cup spots.
In stage 1, 16 teams are divided into four groups, with four teams in each group, playing a home-and-away round-robin format. The top three teams from each group advance to stage 2. The group containing Qatar will only see two teams advance, as the host nation has an automatic qualification spot. China is currently ranked third in group B of stage 1, qualifying for stage 2.
Stage 2 consists of 12 teams, divided into two groups of six teams. Teams carry over their head-to-head results with opponents who also advanced from stage 1. Each team then plays home and away matches against the remaining three teams in their group they have not yet faced.
At the end of stage 2, the top three teams from each group, along with the best fourth-placed team, will secure berths at the 2027 World Cup, completing the list of Asia-Oceania representatives participating in the FIBA-organized global basketball event.
Hong Duy (according to South China Morning Post)
