EuroLeague responds to public uproar on referee assignment in Piraeus / News - Basketnews.com

EuroLeague says the referees are known for their highest level of professionalism after a public uproar because of Gytis Vilius' appointment for the Olympiacos-Baskonia game.

Credit: EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages Credit EuroLeague Basketball via GettyImages

As the EuroLeague regular season nears its end, basketball fans are on edge about the referees chosen for the final round matches.

In particular, the appointment of Lithuanian Gytis Vilius to officiate in the Olympiacos vs. Baskonia game has caused the dispute, as it is seen as potentially favoring Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas in their playoff race.

If Baskonia fail to bring back a victory from Piraeus and Zalgiris win in Munich, the Greens will advance to the playoffs.

Vilius' appointment and his hometown of Kaunas were featured on social media and in multiple prominent Spanish media outlets.

"Referees are nominated with the criteria of not having a referee of the same nationality of either club or a referee from the national competition of that club (ABA is a national competition for us)," EuroLeague explained the assignments policy to BasketNews in a statement.

"In addition, the overarching criteria when nominating referees to both Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup is selecting the best possible crew for every game. Euroleague Basketball referees are widely known for being at the highest level of professionalism and officiating in Europe, following one of the most sophisticated educational and monitoring programs in the world, while the selection process to join this group is highly demanding in terms of integrity, ability and the capacity to improve as the game develops. The integrity of Euroleague Basketball referees should be beyond any doubt," it was added in an official response.

Vilius, who's considered one of the top and most highly regarded officials in the entire league, was invited to serve as a referee for the EuroLeague back in 2018.

He's already worked in the last two Final Four events and was chosen to officiate both championship games as well, making him the second-youngest referee ever to do so (33 years, 87 days).

Vilius will be teaming up with crew chief Sreten Radovic and Seffi Shemmesh in Piraeus.

The controversy in Spain began prior to the announcement that Emilio Perez, another experienced EuroLeague official from Spain, would be officiating the upcoming Zalgiris game against Bayern in Munich.

The stakes are high for Zalgiris, as a loss in this game would result in their elimination from the playoffs,even if Baskonia also loses.

Perez will be working with crew chief Ilija Belosevic and Vasiliki Tsaroucha.

The EuroLeague playoffs are gearing up for an exciting finish this week as Fenerbahce, Baskonia, and Zalgiris battle for the final two spots in the top 8.

EuroLeague playoffs race: three teams fight for two remaining spots Scheduling last-round EuroLeague games at the same time should be a priority

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