In the wake of a ‘troubling experience’ with game officials during their recent match against the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters have urged the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Technical Committee to retrain its officiating pool to fully embrace the Instant Replay System (IRS) in the hope of ensuring fair play and preserving the integrity of the sport.
The Webmasters beat the Wildcats again, 69-61, in the CESAFI Season 25 basketball tournament last Thursday, October 23, at the Cebu Coliseum but not without going through what coach Atty. Kernn Sesante described as a worrying incident with the referees late in the third quarter.
‘During the course of the UC vs CIT-U game, it was observed that the referees appeared reluctant and resistant to the use of the Instant Replay System (IRS). More troubling, however, is that their conduct seemed to discourage teams from availing of the IRS – a mechanism specifically designed to promote fairness, accuracy, and transparency in officiating,’ Sesante said in a statement.
He cited a clear example of this when the Webmasters were assessed with a technical foul after properly requesting the referees to review a seemingly unsportsmanlike behavior of CIT-U’s Serafin Duarte, who threw the ball toward the UC bench following an offensive foul at the 1:44 mark of the third period.
To Sesante’s surprise, UC got punished for invoking the Coach Challenge pursuant to Paragraph 3 of the Supplemental Rules for the IRS.
‘Instead of treating the request as a legitimate invocation of the IRS, the referees penalized the UC team, sending a chilling message that teams risk being sanctioned for merely seeking a fair review. Such an act effectively defeats the very purpose of IRS,’ said the well-mannered bench strategist.
Sesante emphasized that the IRS was instituted not to challenge the referees’ authority but to assist them in upholding the integrity of the game, minimizing human error, and making sure that every call withstands objective scrutiny.
‘Resistance to its use – especially when coupled with penalties against those who properly invoke it – creates a perception of defensiveness, bias, or lack of openness to accountability,’ he continued.
With this, Sesante respectfully egged on the league to reorient its referees to fully embrace the IRS as a modern, indispensable tool for safeguarding fair play.
‘Referees must be encouraged to view the system not as a threat to their judgment but as an ally that enhances their credibility, professionalism, and confidence in officiating high-level competition,’ Sesante furthered.
‘By adopting this progressive mindset, referees can help raise the standard of CESAFI basketball to align with the best practices of major leagues and institutions worldwide – where technology and transparency work hand in hand to preserve the integrity of the sport,’ Sesante concluded.