Antifake
A team that played in a basketball tournament in Russia usurped the name and colors of the Colombian national team, the Colombian Basketball Federation (FCB) revealed on Thursday, announcing it will take legal action over the improper use of its image and logo. The FCB added that it never received a formal offer to take part in the tournament, hosted in the Russian city of Perm.
On August 21, Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported on the continuing success of Russian basketball — this despite Russian teams being banned from official international competitions by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The city of Perm is currently hosting a tournament called the “Friendship Cup,” purportedly featuring the national teams of Russia, Venezuela, and Colombia, along with the Perm-based club BC Parma. In the opening match, Parma scored a stunning victory against what was presented as the Colombian team, with a score of 155-53. The team was then routed 108-57 by Venezuela.
While Colombia's national basketball team is not among the world's elite, ranking 58th in the FIBA standings as of August 10, such a lopsided loss to Parma — a team that has never placed higher than fifth in Russia’s top professional league — raised multiple eyebrows. Parma player Samson Ruzhentsev told TASS, “We didn't expect this Colombian team — we watched a slightly different lineup on film before the match. But for the first game of the season, it was a useful experience to build confidence.”
“Colombia’s” coach Jorge Vásquez also expressed regret for the defeat in his interview with TASS.
However, a closer look at the Colombian squad revealed that “a slightly different lineup” was an understatement: none of the players on this team had ever played for the real Colombian national team. In fact, not all of them were even professional basketball players. One of them, Luis Miguel Parra Sanchez, is an engineer and sports blogger, while two others are members of a student 3-on-3 basketball team. “There are both professionals and students on the team. They’re just starting out and wanted to try [playing on the team] for themselves. It's a great experience for them to compete with so many people looking at you,” Vásquez told TASS.
Coach Vásquez also has no association with the national team; he coaches the girls' team at Albert Einstein Private School in Mosquera, near Bogotá. The actual coach of the Colombian national team is Guillermo Moreno.
The FCB was quick to respond. Sport.ru cited an official statement issued by the organization:
“The Colombian Basketball Federation did not receive an official invitation to participate in the Friendship Cup in Russia. We have not authorized any club or educational institution in the country to take part in this tournament.
The Colombian Basketball Federation will take legal action regarding the improper use of our image or logo. This was done without prior authorization.”
The Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) responded by claiming all communications were handled “through official channels”:
“The match involving the team registered as the Colombian national team was organized in full compliance with official documents and confirmations. All communications with the Colombian Basketball Federation were conducted through official channels, leaving no doubt about the legitimacy of this team's participation.”
In a comment to state-run sports broadcaster Match TV, RBF president and former NBA player Andrei Kirilenko maintained that the Russian side did nothing improper:
“We would like to stress that all our interactions with the Colombian team took place exclusively through official communication channels. Our position remains unchanged: all communications and coordination are conducted only through verified and official sources.”
To support its claim, the RBF published a letter on official Colombian Basketball Federation letterhead, supposedly confirming the participation of the Colombian men's team in the tournament. However, the letter did not specifically mention the term “national team.”
The letter was signed by Jorge Armando Garcia Vargas, identified as the president of the Colombian Basketball Federation. However, the federation's website and the Colombian Ministry of Sport both list the president as Jorge Armando Garcia — without the surname Vargas, which only appears on his Facebook page. Additionally, the letter featured a non-existent web address in an incorrect domain: fecolcesto.es.ti, instead of the real fecolcesto.org.
The team wearing Colombia's colors was set to play against Russia on Friday, but the game was canceled.
“After the first game, we realized that the current level of the Colombian team falls short of what was expected, leading to some disappointment for all of us,” Kirilenko told Match TV. “As a result, we have revised the tournament's schedule and format to ensure a more balanced and competitive competition.”
It remains unclear who was responsible for sending the team to the tournament in Perm.