The Colombian Basketball Federation is taking legal action against the team for allegedly using the Colombian national team logo and colors without permission while participating in a tournament in Russia.
The tournament was held in the Russian city of Perm, and the alleged fake team suffered humiliating defeats in consecutive matches to the local team and Venezuela.
The Russian Friendship Cup is a tournament involving teams of Russian amateur players who informally represent the national team. According to Fox News.
The South American basketball confederation said it would take legal action over “the inappropriate use of our image and logo.” The Associated Press reported..
“The Colombian Basketball Federation has not sanctioned any clubs to participate in the Russia Friendship Cup,” the federation said in a statement to the media.
The team was scheduled to play Russia on Friday but the game was cancelled.
“We understand that after the first match, the current level of the Colombian team does not meet our expectations, which is disappointing for all of us,” Russian Football Union president Andrey Kirilenko told Match TV, according to the Associated Press. “In this regard, we are already reviewing the schedule and format of the tournament to ensure more balanced and competitive matches.”
Former NBA player Kirilenko denied any wrongdoing by the Russians.
“I want to emphasize that all interactions with the Colombian team have been exclusively through official communication channels,” he said. “Our position remains the same: all communication and coordination is exclusively through verified, official sources.”
