PBA bringing in more referees inside bubble

FILE — Virtuals fans appear on the LED screens inside the AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center where the PBA games are held. PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—More game officials are set to enter the PBA bubble in Clark to augment operations amid the league’s demanding schedule.

In a virtual press conference, league commissioner Willie Marcial said at least two more referees are expected to arrive at Quest Hotel after one was tagged as a suspected COVID-19 case and the other was sent home after an errant call in the closing seconds of the game between Rain or Shine and NorthPort.

“We have five in the lineup and now I sent for two to three referees to come here,” said Marcial in Filipino. “Still, it’ll be the same procedure. They’ll be in quarantine, put in self-isolation.”

“Whatever our protocol when we entered, then that will be their protocol too.”

The referee who’s been suspected of COVID-19 has been sent to the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City but the league, Clark Development Corporation, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority believe that it was a false positive.

Marcial said that the remaining referees inside the bubble have to work back-to-back games until Sunday when they expect to receive the RT-PCR test results of the ones coming in.

There are four referees who usually work a game, but Marcial said there would be adjustments made since the replacement official rarely come into the game and would be there to man the second match of the nightly double headers.

“The replacement referee rarely get to the game, so we’re looking at adjustments,” said Marcial. “It’s like a team also so we’re pacing the workload of the referees.”