THE entire referees' crew that officiated Game Two of the Governors' Cup playoff between Meralco and Magnolia has been suspended, the PBA Commissioner's Office said on Sunday.
League officials said the four referees will be banned for the rest of the semifinals for the blown call that marred Meralco's 81-75 win over Magnolia on Friday which tied the best-of-five series at 1-all.
Down five points with nine seconds to go, Magnolia and its fans raised a ruckus when the referees failed to call a shot-block violation on Meralco after import Tony Bishop's long jumper failed to hit the rim.
Instead of the referees awarding the ball to Magnolia, Meralco got the ball back off an offensive rebound, effectively ending the game.
Shot-clock violation confirmed
A review of the controversial play by league officials concluded that a shot-clock violation should've been called on Meralco and the referees' crew should've awarded possesion to Magnolia.
Asked if table officials were also held accountable for the blown call, league officials said they've long taken out the table crew from huddles over questions involving shot-clock violations.
The officiating crew has been given full mandate to rule in such situations, they added.
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