Serbia-Belgium Qualifiers match pushed to Monday due to power outage / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

The 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers matchup between Serbia and Belgium had to be pushed to Monday.

The match was stopped in the third minute when the Belgians were leading 6:3 due to a power outage in the Cair Arena in Nis. Although the players from both teams were warming up and hoped the issue could be solved, nothing came of it.

The players of the two national teams witnessed a truly bizarre situation. With the power outage lasting much longer than expected, the fans in the arena showed their best effort to try and help in this unusual situation. Thousands of spectators tried illuminating the floor with their mobile phones' flashlights.

The interruption due to a power outage lasted more than an hour. It was first decided to continue the match at 9:55 PM local time, i.e. almost an hour after the original start time. However, as it was still half dark in the arena as the time arrived, and the referees decided that the players should be sent to their respective locker rooms.

The situation and the ultimate decision infuriated the fans, who clearly showed their anger at the whole situation.

As reported by Mozzart Sport, the problem arose due to system overload, and a large part of the city remained in the dark. The light in the hall increased on several occasions only to come back to darkness after a few minutes.

It was not the first time an electricity issue arose in the arena as the power also went out on Saturday during team practices.

The match has been postponed. The teams will meet on Monday at 7 PM local time.

Like what we are doing? Support us by becoming BN+ member.