3 referees reportedly refuse to work in Partizan-Zvezda ABA League final / News - Basketnews.com

Ilija Belosevic,Milivoje Jovcic, andUros Nikolic have reportedly opted out of refereeing the Partizan-Crvena Zvezda derby games in this year's ABA League final. This is a common occurrence in the region's basketball as referees often face intense bullying both online and in real life during the finals.

Credit: ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic Credit ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

The ABA League final will feature an eternal derby between Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade once again. With the matches starting next week, the pressure is already starting to build.

Free throws this season

82%18,0Points made:18,0Accuracy:82,4%Place in standings:1Record max:28Record min:3Most made FTs:Dante ExumTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Derbies bring additional spotlight not only to the players and coaches of both teams but to the game officials as well. As such, not every referee wants to be involved in the drama that unfolds.

According to Telegraf, three referees have opted out of refereeing in the ABA League final series - Ilija Belosevic, Milivoje Jovcic, and Uros Nikolic.

All three officials are regulars in the EuroLeague. Belosevic is one of the most experienced and respected specialists of his craft in the continent, having officiated the 5th-most games in the competition last season.

Nikolic refereed in 21 EuroLeague regular season games this year. Jovcic, meanwhile, was one of only a handful of officials to work in multiple single-round games (two matches in Round 22) this season on top of 16 games in other rounds.

The issue of referees refusing to officiate eternal derbies in the ABA League finals is a frequent feature in the region. It is often due to the added external pressure that naturally occurs.

There have been instances throughout history of referees being pressured and harassed both online and in real life.

This year's final series has gathered additional attention due to overlapping schedules between the Serbian League (KLS) and the ABA League. As such, Crvena Zvezda even issued a threat that they would prioritize KLS and would miss the ABA games if the dates continue to coincide.

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