Marcial assures referees in PBA finals the ‘best’ the league has

Marcial Law is ready to take its biggest swing.

The 2018 PBA Philippine Cup finals between defending champion San Miguel and Magnolia is the first under Commissioner Willie Marcial’s tenure and he is doing his best to make sure it would be fair and balanced series.

Marcial said they will trim the pool of referees to ensure that only those officials who have gained the highest grades will officiate the seven-game series.

“During the eliminations we had 18 referees, then it went down to 12 in the quarterfinals, in the semis we only had 10. We’ll see if we can have just eight or 10 referees,” said Marcial in Filipino during the finals press conference Wednesday at Eastwood City.

Marcial said that those who will officiate the best-of-seven duel will be the “best” referees the league has to offer, not only in decision-making but also in composure in intense stretches.

“We’ve graded them and only those who got the highest grades will be chosen to officiate the games, so that the two teams especially the coaches won’t have anything to say about the officiating,” said Marcial.

Magnolia governor Rene Pardo, meanwhile, is hoping to see the officiating allow the players to just play.

“We are asking from the commissioner and the referees to let both teams play at it’s best, don’t let the calls hinder the action,” said Pardo in Filipino. “Let the fans enjoy the game.”