The Malta Basketball Association has declared Rabat Depiro winners of the Peugeot national women’s league after deciding to give victory to the Rabat side following Hibs GoMobile’s walkover last Sunday.

Meanwhile, the MBA also said in a statement that it has the right to control the local championships in the best interests of the game in Malta. It said this right is also backed by FIBA rules which state that an association has the right to administer according to its own rules, including the ones on players' eligibility.

According to the MBA, the world body says national federations have to establish their own regulations on players' eligibility.

The MBA also said Hibs had every right to contest but they are also obliged to respect the decisions of the Protests Board and the Appeals Board.

The protest lodged by the Paolites as well as the appeal had not been upheld.

On Monday, during a news conference, the Paolites said they hoped a solution to the issue would be found locally before they ask the MBA for permission to submit the case to FIBA.

According to Hibs, the FIBA statute states that ‘a player may not be licenced by more than one national federation at the same time.’