Belgian Lions: Serbia v Belgium match stopped due to lighting problem
The meeting between Serbia and Belgium, counting for the 6th and final day of the first phase of the qualifications for the 2023 Basketball World Cup, was canceled due to lighting problems in the Sports Center Cair in Nis on Sunday in Serbia.
The Serbian media evoke the report of the meeting on Monday evening (7 p.m.) but no formalization has been given by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The Belgian Lions (FIBA 37) are already assured of their place in the second round, regardless of the outcome of the match against Serbia (FIVB 6). Belgium (8 points) is in second place, behind Latvia (9 points) and ahead of Serbia (8 points) while Slovakia (5 points) is eliminated.
The second round, played in three windows between August and February 2023, brings together twenty-four teams, divided into four groups of six. The Belgian Lions will be in Group I, along with Latvia and Serbia as well as the three Group B teams, Greece, Turkey and Great Britain. The first three in each group will win their ticket to the World Cup, organized from August 25 to September 10, 2023 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
The Belgians will no longer face Latvia and Serbia, but will retain the results obtained in the first round against these two teams. Sunday’s game is therefore important for the second round. In the first leg, the Lions offered themselves a prestigious 73-69 victory against the Serbs, while they were beaten twice by the Latvians.