Jordi Fernandez deflects officiating as a factor in Canada’s WC Semis loss vs. Serbia

Canadian men’s basketball head coach Jordi Fernandez refused to blame the officiating for their loss to Serbia in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup semifinals. Fernandez stated, “It’s part of the game of basketball. It’s like two teams of 12 – five of each team are on the court, and there are three officials. Those officials, their job is to judge, and our job is to coach. Those two guys have two fouls, and I have to sit them out. And from there, we kept playing.” He further added, “I think we lost because we didn’t defend. I’ll let the officiating for whoever judges the officials. I can only say to them, ‘Thanks for doing their jobs.’ Without officials, we couldn’t play the game of basketball. So, we just got to be better.”