Narvasa to summon refs of controversial Ginebra-GlobalPort match

A missed call on Stanley Pringle in the endgame turned the Ginebra-GlobalPort game into a controversial one. PBA
By Ivan Saldajeno

QUEZON CITY--While Commissioner Chito Narvasa awaits the decision of Ginebra on whether it will protest its controversial quarterfinal match against GlobalPort, he made some initial action about the play that gave the crowd darling club a solid ground to appeal the match.

In an official statement early Monday, the PBA commissioner asked the referees of the said game to come to his office on Tuesday to discuss not just the missed five-second ball-hogging violation call on Stanley Pringle but the entire Sunday game as well.

"We have scheduled a hearing for the 4 referees tomorrow, the 29th of December, to determine their performance. After that we shall come out with our official action on them," Narvasa said in the statement.

Romell Gruta, Mardy Montoya, Bong Oliva, and Edward Aquino called the win-or-go-home game, which ended in an awkward manner due to the controversial non-call on Pringle's turnover that let the Batang Pier escape with the 84-83 overtime thriller win against the Gin Kings.

Among the four referees who officiated the game, it is Aquino who has some heat with the fans as he frequently gets some flak online.

As of posting, Narvasa has yet to receive an official protest from Ginebra, although the team was given until 12 p.m. to submit the said letter with a bond fee of PHP20 thousand.

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