Short of admitting a crackdown, Martinez stresses there are no sacred cows among the PBA’s 19 referees. They’re under constant watch, on and off the court. Their performance is continuously being monitored and scrutinized. Those who fall short of the PBA’s lofty standards are suspended, fined or dismissed.
"Officiating is a never-ending journey," notes Martinez. "What drives me is the fact that the coaches and players work so hard. The referees must therefore work as hard or harder. I never stop looking for ways to improve our officiating, to be better. I realize that referees are only human and they make mistakes. But just because we know mistakes sometimes happen doesn’t justify tolerating them."
Martinez says when the referees bungle a job, he takes it personally. "In any game, no matter what’s at stake, if the referees tilt the balance to favor one team over the other, I feel bad," he continues. "It’s the pressure of my job. Although I think officiating this year has improved from last year, there is still a lot of room for improvement. One big step we took this year was establishing the parameters of officiating where it’s clear under specific situations, how and when to make a call. This involved some adjustment from our referees, especially the veterans, since there were never any guidelines of that nature before. Our philosophy is basically ang pinakamagaling na team dapat manalo, that the referees should not tilt the balance one way or the other with a call or non-call."
Last week, an anonymous texter sent messages to PBA officials, some team managers, some players and some reporters insinuating that "somebody" is controlling the referees to fix games. The messages were sent three days in a row, creating a stir within the referees’ ranks.
The suspicion is a disgruntled former referee, fired by the PBA for spotty officiating, sent the messages out of spite.
Martinez says the messages are baseless but confesses they had a psychological effect on the referees.
"Before last Wednesday’s games, I talked to the referees because I anticipated their performance could be affected," relates Martinez. "Even if the texts were baseless, parang the referees felt they were being accused. I thought they were intimidated especially in the Red Bull-Ginebra game. There were lapses particularly in the end game. This is not to take credit away from Red Bull because the team played very well. But I felt officiating tilted the balance of the game. It wasn’t only unfair to Ginebra but also to Red Bull. I thought it was concrete proof that the referees were affected by the rumors because they held back on crucial calls. In common areas, for instance, I noticed not all the referees blew their whistles. They were stymied. At a critical stage of the tournament, I thought the quality of the calls could’ve been better."
As a result, Martinez discloses the three referees were suspended and fined. In the second game between Sta. Lucia Realty and FedEx, the referees went overboard and called over 70 fouls, extending the game late into the night. The referees in that contest were fined.
"With or without those text messages, there was no excuse for that kind of officiating last Wednesday," says Martinez. "We’ve put our foot down. We’re buckling down. All the referees are on notice. If they don’t shape up, the consequences are clear."
As to suspicions that some referees are on the take, Martinez says the possibility is being addressed, too. He declines to expound but hints the league conducts "surveillance" on referees off the court to check on their lifestyles and out-of-work habits. "This problem, if it’s a problem, is being addressed quickly and decisively," says Martinez.
Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen, commenting on last Wednesday’s setback, said: "Yes, I felt bad. But about the refs, well, they’re human like us who make mistakes. It’s just that some of the mistakes were glaring at the end game. But hey, we still have to play better also."
Tanquingcen said Romel Adducul, who sat out the game, suffered a fracture on his finger and will be out for three weeks. It was his second straight sitout.
PBA commissioner Noli Eala met the league’s referees last Thursday to deliver a strong message that incompetence and spotty officiating–whether deliberate or accidental–will not be tolerated.
The PBA isn’t calling it a crackdown but from all indications, Eala’s warning is an ultimatum–it’s shape up or ship out.