THE MPBL Commissioner's Office is set to suspend the referees who worked the South Division play-in game between the Cebu Greats and the Mindoro Tamaraws which went down to a controversial non-call in the final play on Monday.
With the Tamaraws holding on to a 92-89 lead, Cebu Greats guard Jun Manzo scampered downcourt for a game-tying three-pointer and was clearly clipped in the shooting hand by RJ Ramirez as he went up for a shot.
Cebu bench loses plot
The Cebu Greats bench, led by former PBA star Dondon Hontiveros, stormed the technical table as the non-call enabled the Tamaraws to book a seat in the playoffs - and heartbreakingly ended the Cebuanos' season.
A day later, the MPBL said in an internal memo, a copy of which was seen by SPIN.ph. that its referees were wrong not to call a foul and came down hard on the officials.
"After a thorough review of the South Division play-in game between the Mindoro Tamaraws and the Cebu Greats on October 6, 2025, the Technical Committee and the Commissioner's Office found that the officiating referees failed to call a foul committed by Mindoro's RJ Ramirez on Cebu's Jun Manzo's buzzer-beater jumper," the league said in the internal memo.
"Since that three-point attempt was a probable game-changer, the final score being 92-89 in Mindoro's favor, the referees are hereby slapped with indefinite suspensions effective immediately.."
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