Guiao claims Jordan "too rugged on us"

The verbal tussle between Yeng Guiao and Joseph Steibing further escalated the altercation between Gilas and Jordan. Dennis Acosta

By Ivan Saldajeno

PASIG--It all started with a hard foul by Scottie Thompson.

Then a Jordanian player threw the ball at him.

And the tensions rose from there.

Both Gilas Pilipinas and Jordan engaged in a heated discussion at the sideline in the fourth quarter of their tune-up game at the Meralco Gym.

[Related Story: Late altercation mars Gilas-Jordan rematch]

Cooler heads prevailed in restoring order among players, but Coaches Yeng Guiao and Joseph Steibing continued exchanging harsh words at each other.

"I felt that they were getting too rugged on us from the beginning, even in the first game. It’s my responsibility to keep my players safe. There’s a lot of second motions happening," Guiao explained why he had to confront Steibing.

However, Guiao claimed Steibing said something that he really did not like.

"The coach said that he was going to take my ass. So I was challenging him to take my ass, pero hindi naman niya ginawa," Guiao said. "Eh ‘yong [expletive] coach na ‘yan akala mo kung sinong siga. Eh andito tayo. Hindi naman lalaban ng suntukan ‘yung [expletive] na yan.

He added, "I just didn’t want to be bullied in our own country. They were bullying us all the way. Andito tayo, tapos tayo pa ‘yung binu-bully. Hindi naman dapat ‘yun."

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