The PBA suspended referees Rommel Gruta and Edward Aquino for the rest of the Philippine Cup after missed calls during the Ginebra-Globalport match last Sunday.
The Office of the Commissioner released a statement Tuesday, stating all four officials were present during the meeting with the commissioner.
“In their opening statement, the referees accepted that they missed the call, they were apologetic and were ready to face the sanctions that would be imposed on them,” part of the statement read.
In the deliberation, two violations were not call in the final possession of the game.
One was a five-second ball hogging violation on Stanley Pringle, which was the responsibility of Gruta, and another was a backing violation also on Pringle, which is the responsibility of Aquino.
Because of the two non-calls, Ginebra was denied a chance to gain possession and Globalport held on for the 84-83 overtime win.
The PBA’s technical committee determined only referees Aquino and Gruta were liable for these missed calls.
As a penalty, the technical committee decided that both referees shall be suspended for the rest of the Philippine Cup.
