Showing the ability to police their ranks, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) announced that they will be suspending three of the referees for their failure to control the oft-chaotic high school match between the University of Cebu (UC) and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) last Saturday at the Cebu Coliseum.
In an announcement yesterday, league commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy said that Reynaldo Barriga, Jun Babato and Edison Sabellano will be meted with a three-game suspension for their “failure to take control and impose their authority in officiating the game.”
The match, a 77-49 victory by the Baby Webmasters, saw several near-skirmishes and two unsportsmanlike foul calls each on USPF players Christopher Isabelo and Kyle Nino Ochavo which warranted their ejection from the match.
In addition, a volunteer coach from the USPF side was said to have thrown a bottle of mineral water onto the floor which after an investigation got him barred from sitting on the bench for the rest of the season.
However, USPF head coach Albert Alocillo clarified the incident and said his assistant did not in fact throw the bottle on the floor. Rather, he threw it in the vicinity of their bench and caromed off a foot and landed on the floor.