UAAP: Referee who whistled late unsportsmanlike foul in Adamson-La Salle game suspended

UAAP commissioner Chito Loyzaga has suspended a referee involved in the controversial game between the Adamson Soaring Falcons and De La Salle Green Archers on Wednesday, July 24.

In a July 25 memo addressed to the UAAP technical committee, Loyzaga ruled that referee Francisco Olivar, Jr. will be suspended for three game days.

On Wednesday, Olivar called an unsportsmanlike foul against Adamon's Lloyd Abrigo for jockeying with Archer Norbert Torres before the inbounds play with 15 seconds on the clock. According to the UAAP in-house rules, all fouls committed during dead ball situations will be assessed as unsportsmanlike fouls.

Referencing the FIBA rulebook, Loyzaga concluded that the contact between both players was "incidental... which does not give the player responsible an advantage nor place his opponent at a disadvantage," and called the decision "untimely... result[ing] in an advantage to La Salle, which eventually won the game."

"One of the basic principles of the UAAP Board is to have the outcomes of all games decided by the players and not the referees. Taking this within context of the ADU-DLSU game, maintaining the momentum of play in the last two minutes, sometimes achieved by refraining from having to call fouls, would increase the chances of having the players decide the outcome of the game," stated Loyzaga in the memo.

Loyzaga said that the Olivar's decision was questionable and raised questions about how strictly referees should call fouls in the dying seconds of a game. Moreover, Loyzaga concluded that Olivar's call was inconsistent with fundamental officiating principles.

Referencing the FIBA rulebook further, Loyzaga reminded the league that officials need to make calls within the spirit and intent of the rules, using common sense in maintaining a balance between game control and game flow.

As league commissioner, Loyzaga said he takes full responsibility well for actions made by members of the UAAP technical unit. "To coach Leo Austria, the Adamson team and the Adamson community, please accept our sincerest apologies on the matter," he concluded. - AMD, GMA News



Below is the full memo from UAAP Commissioner Loyzaga: