Red Star is unable to accept defeat against Buducnost in the 20th round of the AdmiralBet ABA League.

Buducnost triumphed in Belgrade last night after overtime, finishing 96:89. The Blues were in control throughout the regular time, while Red Star only took the lead for the first time during overtime.

The “red-whites” assert there were 11 referee calls that went against them.

“Following the match between Crvena zvezda and Buducnost Voli in the 20th round of the ABA League, and in light of recurring incidents we previously chose not to address, we find it imperative to speak out! We cannot remain silent about the blatant ‘robbery’ by the officiating crew consisting of Javor, Petek, and Porobić in Belgrade on Monday evening! How else can we label the 20th-round match in which 11 crucial referee decisions harmed our team? This is not merely oversight – it is intentional!” stated the “red and whites” in a press release.

The team doesn’t stop there.

“For a squad that has played its fifth game in just nine days, this schedule has made it essential for us to outperform our rivals by 15-20 points despite these decisions! Coincidental or not, this trio of referees previously influenced the outcome of the 12th round ABA League derby in Belgrade, affecting the clubs’ standings directly,” Red Star claimed, adding:

“KK Crvena zvezda boasts a million-strong fanbase, invests significant efforts (and financial resources) to be a competitive force in all tournaments, strives for trophies, and plays a crucial role in attracting sponsors and media attention to the ABA League. Therefore, we cannot remain passive in the face of attempts to allow referees to dictate the standings, rather than the players on the court. We would like to remind league management once again – referees serve the clubs for which they are generously compensated, and they should not be the ones deciding the clubs’ positions on the table, those roles belong to the players.”

Red Star awaits a response from the ABA League.

“Thus, we request that in your forthcoming response, you refrain from labeling our statements as mere pressure on referees. This statement serves as a final appeal to you, who oversee the ABA League (and are also adequately compensated by the clubs), to perform your duties correctly! If you are subjected to any off-the-field pressures (and some have indicated a susceptibility to this in the past), it would be considerate to notify the public and our club of such matters, as we have previously warned – KK Crvena zvezda will NEVER serve as a platform for anyone’s ambitions, and we will not participate in orchestrated scenarios like yesterday’s,” Zvezda concluded.

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