MANILA, Philippines – Basketball Australia on Monday profusely apologized for the actions of some members of its delegation, who were caught removing the decals at the hardcourt in the Philippine Arena.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan bared on Sunday evening that some members of the Australian delegation removed the stickers of PLDT from the court, even if the ad placements were approved by FIBA.

Chooks-to-Go president Ronald Mascariñas called the Australians’ actions “very disrespectful,” while also noting that their own stickers had also been removed.

On Sunday, SBP called for swift action from FIBA regarding the incident, lest the Australian delegation be held accountable by the owners of the arena.

In a statement released to media ahead of the Australia-Philippines game on Monday evening, the Boomers’ team manager, Mark Bradtke, explained their side of the story and apologized.

“We want basketball to be the winner. We also want to have a safe but respectful environment. We are very happy with the new court decals. Our concerns were alleviated,” said Bradtke.

“Our intentions were pure in rectifying what was potentially a player safety issue for all participants. As our loss against Japan shows, this is a very tough competition, and we wanted the best environment for all players whose health and safety is critical,” he added.

“We never intended to be disrespectful or to challenge Philippine basketball. The Philippine basketball federation and the players are our friends and neighbors, but also a very tough opponent that we respect very much.”

• READ: Gilas out for revenge against tough Boomers

According to Bradtke, the issue has already been resolved with help from SBP and FIBA.

“We look forward to using this situation as a building block for basketball to having the best environment for all participants, officials, and fans, and lastly, to maintain our great relations with Philippine basketball,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Basketball Australia secretary-general Anthony Moore also said that they “unreservedly apologize” for removing the stickers at the court.

“No disrespect was intended, and the team has since apologized for the error in judgment to the Philippines Basketball, the fans, and FIBA,” said Moore.

Gilas Pilipinas is trying to hand Australia its second straight loss in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers as the Boomers are coming off a 79-78 loss to Japan last Friday. Gilas, meanwhile, crushed Chinese-Taipei 93-71 on the same day.

Australia defeated the Philippines, 84-68, when they played last February 22.

The winner of Monday’s game will end up as the top team in Group B of the qualifiers heading into the second round.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.