Tianjin Basketball Association apologizes for youth players' brawl

BEIJING - The Tianjin Basketball Association issued a statement of apology after several of its young players were involved in a brawl on Monday.

Video clips posted on social media showed some Tianjin players pushing and hitting a staff member at a training venue in Zhanjiang, in southern China's Guangdong province.

According to a Tianjin Basketball Association statement, the incident took place on December 26 during a winter training session for its under-16 team.

The quarrel allegedly began after a match against a local team, when the staff member demanded compensation from Tianjin for damaging the venue's bench seats.

In addition to issuing an apology and providing compensation for losses incurred, the association suspended the team's head coach, and demanded that all its players be subject to disciplinary processes.