Idman.biz
As reported, the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation has filed a complaint with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA Europe) about Michael Bree, the head coach of the Irish national team.
Idman.Biz reports that Farrukh Mahmudov, Executive Vice President of the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation, made a statement to "Qafqazinfo" regarding the issue.
He said that the images reflected in the television broadcast during the Ireland-Azerbaijan European Championship 2029 preliminary qualifying game held on February 27, 2026, forced them to officially appeal to FIBA regarding this issue.
"In that game, with 9 minutes and 16 seconds remaining until the end of the 3rd period, during the timeout taken by the Irish team, the head coach of the Irish national team, Mr. Michael Bree, clearly used offensive expressions in the television footage, mentioning the name of our country, and made derogatory remarks about Azerbaijan in order to motivate his players. We strongly condemn such belittling and offensive behavior. This is completely unacceptable for a competition held at the level of national teams and does not correspond to the values that basketball should represent in the arenas.
Such statements are not only disrespectful to our country, but also contradict fundamental principles such as fair play, integrity and mutual respect, which are protected by FIBA. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has stated that the issue regarding the inappropriate statements made by the head coach of the Irish national team has already been officially taken under investigation. FIBA is currently collecting additional information from referees and other officials regarding this incident, which may be considered as a disciplinary case. The letter sent and the video material reflecting the thoughts expressed during the timeout were submitted to the sole judge of FIBA Europe and other relevant bodies for review and legal evaluation," Mahmudov added.
