IN what will be the PVL’s longest season yet, one noticeable officiating change will soon take effect: mic’d up first referees.
It can be recalled that last season’s officiating fiasco in the 2024 Reinforced Conference semifinals between Akari and PLDT drew confusion and commentary - mostly negative -among volleyball fans.
READ: Changes, movements, comebacks ahead of PVL's longest season yet
Among key points of critique at the time were the timeliness of how the decision was conveyed and the little-known technicalities in the sport’s regulations.
It was only through a post-game press conference from PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo right after the Chargers' eventual triumph over the HD Spikers that the disputed net touch infraction was finally explained.
There, it surfaced that not all forms of contact with the net will be ruled a violation for as long as it transpires in a second motion away from play.
Even after the league’s full explanation that cited FIVB rules to justify the on-court ruling that also dismissed PLDT’s post-game appeal, there were still questions raised on the consistency of league officiating and how the league will handle any re-occurrences moving forward.
Mic'd up referees
To avoid an encore of such a debacle, the PVL will put a premium not only on accuracy of in-game calls, but also transparency on how they are made and decided upon.
Malonzo bared how the updated video challenge review process will take place from the moment a team calls for it.
“The first referee will explain the decisions made. What will happen is that the first referee, in coordination with the video challenge referee, will review the footage," he said.
“Then, the video challenge referee will relay his interpretation of what happened to the first referee. The first referee will then give his decision on who to award the call and explain what happened.”
The PVL commissioner furthered, “We’ll be giving the first referee a mic, so that the audience can understand why the decision has been made.”
He also explained the simple rationale behind this move among other changes to league officiating.
“There are certain rules talaga that are a bit complicated. It’s best that a technical person explains it to the public and to the teams,” Malonzo said.
“Hopefully this year, ma-address namin lahat ‘yun.”
The new protocol will apply for any of the six infractions reviewable via video challenge: ball in/ball out, block touch, net touch, antenna touch, foot fault, and floor touch.
This, among other changes and innovations, including the appointment of referee delegate Yul Benosa, international referees calling all matches, and non-Filipino referees in the semifinals and finals, will be in play when the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference starts on Nov. 9.
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