The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) temporarily lifted the sanctions handed out to Westports Malaysia Dragons coach Chris Thomas and Saigon coach Kyle Julius on Thursday.
The two coaches were involved in an altercation last January 17 following the Dragon’s 91-87 victory over the Heat. Last Tuesday, the league issued a memo suspending both Thomas and Julius for their unruly behavior and negative comments during the incident.
However, the two organizations filed an appeal in defense of their actions. The league accepted the petition by the two teams and temporarily put the suspensions on hold until a final decision has been made by the league owners.
Thomas was initially suspended for two games and fined 1,000 US Dollars while Julius was forced to sit out one game and fined for the same amount.
The Dragons’ appeal also included Thomas’ fiancée Lana Makarenkova who was banned from the league.