EuroLeague playoffs witness unusual referee nominations / News - Basketnews.com

Two referees were appointed for three playoff games for the first time in the EuroLeague's history, while some had back-to-back nominations.

Credit: /IPA/SIPA/Scanpix Credit /IPA/SIPA/Scanpix

Following the announcement of the official crews for game 5 of the Panathinaikos vs. Maccabi, Monaco vs. Fenerbahce, and Barcelona vs. Olympiacos series, BasketNews data discovered that the EuroLeague referee department had made uncommon referee nominations.

It unveiled two historical instances regarding the nominations for game 5.

Ilija Belosevic was nominated for games 2, 4, and 5 in the Panathinaikos—Maccabi Tel Aviv series, while Sreten Radovic was appointed for games 2, 4, and 5 in the Barcelona—Olympiacos series.

It's not uncommon for referees to officiate two games in a long playoff series, but according to BasketNews' review of EuroLeague game reports spanning many years, an official has never officiated three games in a series.

Moreover, it marked the first instance of referees officiating back-to-back, two games in a row in any given series.

During the regular season, the EuroLeague referee department operated on a "14-day rule," prohibiting referees from officiating the same team twice within 14 days.

In a more intense playoff schedule, Belosevic and Radovic were appointed for games 4 and 5, Mehdi Difallah headed over games 4 and 5 between Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Carlos Peruga was assigned to games 4 and 5 of the Monaco—Fenerbahce series.

The EuroLeague nominated 28 referees for the 2024 playoffs, the largest number in the past 10 seasons, with several other top-level officials boasting significant playoff, Final Four, and Finals experience also available for duty.

EuroLeague sources explained to BasketNews that nationality and performance quality criteria were the main criteria for nominations for each playoff game this year. Given these criteria, nominated crews for game 5 have been seen as the best options.

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