NEBL Responds to Disputed Game Letter and Scheduling Confusion

A disputed game, a letter the league says it never wrote, and a team that threatened to sit out its next match have combined to cast a shadow over the final stretch of the National Elite Basketball League’s (NEBL) regular season, which has a $100,000 championship prize on the line.

The controversy centres on an April 25 game between the San Pedro Tiger Sharks and EZ Investments Giga Dream Ballers, a match that ended in dispute and has since triggered weeks of alleged conflicting communications from the league office.

The outcome of that rematch could affect playoff positioning for several teams, including the Cayo Western Ballaz, who had openly opposed the decision to replay the game.

Earlier this month, the Cayo Western Ballaz warned they would refuse to play their May sixteenth game against the Belize City Defenders if the disputed matchup was allowed to be replayed. Around the same time, a letter dated May 15th surfaced on social media under the NEBL letterhead, stating that both teams involved in the disputed game would receive zero points and that the game would not be rescheduled.

The letter said the league’s position remained in line with a previous May 4th communication, adding that because both teams had refused to play the scheduled game, it had been declared a forfeiture for both sides. The notice also stated that all remaining regular season games and playoff dates would remain unchanged.

Following those assurances, the Cayo Western Ballaz went ahead and played their scheduled game on May 16th. However, on May 19th, the League issued a WhatsApp message to all team owners and managers announcing the opposite of those assurances. The Belize City Defenders and EZ Investments Giga Dream Ballers rematch would in fact be played Wednesday, May 27th, in Dangriga.

League Commissioner Leroy Banner has since confirmed to News Five that the May 15th letter declaring the game dead with zero points awarded did not come from the league office, despite having the official letter head. Banner described the document as the work of “mischief makers” and maintained that it has always been the league’s position for the disputed game to be replayed.

Notably, neither the May 4th nor the May 15th letter can be found on the NEBL‘s official Facebook page.

The sequence of events, including a disputed game, an official-looking letter the commissioner disavows, a boycott threat, and a policy reversal communicated via WhatsApp, has not gone unnoticed by fans.

One screenshot now circulating online is calling out the league, stating, “The lack of consistency in NEBL’s governance continues to undermine confidence in the league. The bylaws exist for a reason, and their proper enforcement is essential to maintaining credibility and fairness. The NEBL has become a circus. How disappointing.”