UAAP commish to suspend ref

MANILA, Philippines - UAAP Season 74 commissioner Andy Jao is likely to crack the whip on a referee who officiated Saturday’s matchup between defending champion Ateneo and archrival La Salle at the Araneta Coliseum.

Referee Amado Soriano faces possible suspension for “poor performance and judgment” especially in the second half of the Ateneo-La Salle tussle, which the Blue Eagles won, 81-72.

“I still don’t have the official action but I plan to suspend Soriano until the end of the first round and (we’ll) evaluate after that,” Jao told The STAR yesterday.

No formal complaint was filed by either teams but Jao and his staff took it upon themselves to take action. They reviewed the tape of the game yesterday and would write supervisor Romy Guevarra and the UAAP board about their decision later this week.

“We’re trying to maintain a high standard so that everybody will be satisfied. We’re working on that. And there’s no timetable. We want to start from the very beginning, that’s why if I find some instances like this, we have to act immediately,” Jao said.

He admitted there’s still some work to be done in so far as officiating is concerned.

“(Overall) It leaves something to be desired. We always have high standards but there can never be a perfect game called in the same way as there can never be a perfect game played or coached, whether it’s from a player or a coach’s point of view,” he said.