The Korean Basketball League (KBL) has decided to maintain its decision to withhold the player registration of Daegu Korea Gas Corporation's foreign player Ricardo Ratliffe, who is currently embroiled in a tax-related dispute.

Following a review of Ratliffe's eligibility during the 32nd term's 2nd Financial Committee meeting held at the KBL Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the KBL announced that his registration will remain on hold until the resolutions of the board of directors are fulfilled.

Ratliffe, who played for the Gas Corporation during the 2025-2026 season, sparked controversy over a comprehensive income tax issue amounting to 398 million won that arose in 2024 when he was with the Busan KCC.

At a board of directors meeting in May 2024, the KBL decided to terminate Ratliffe's naturalized player contract and convert it into a standard foreign player contract, stipulating that the income tax for that year would be borne by his "final recruiting club."

Under this agreement, the Gas Corporation, which recruited Ratliffe for the 2025-2026 season, was expected to pay the tax. However, after joining the Gas Corporation, Ratliffe paid the tax himself and filed a lawsuit with the court against KCC—the contracting party at the time—claiming the return of unjust enrichment, which escalated the issue into a legal dispute.

In January of this year, the KBL held a Financial Committee meeting and imposed a fine of 30 million won on the Gas Corporation for "failing to comply with the board's resolution." Later, when player contracts for foreign and Asian quarter players for the 2026-2027 season closed in May, the league withheld Ratliffe's registration.

Regarding the committee's decision, a KBL official explained, "We determined that the dispute between the league and the club—including legal issues regarding the fulfillment of board resolutions and related obligations—is ongoing, and it is severely undermining the effectiveness of resolutions made by the KBL's highest decision-making body, the board of directors."

The Financial Committee meeting began at 10:00 AM and concluded around 6:00 PM following a marathon session.

Meanwhile, the Gas Corporation filed an injunction with the court last week to suspend the effect of the withholding of Ratliffe's player registration, indicating that the dispute is likely to continue.

(Photo: Yonhap News)