By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Crvena Zvezda coach Giannis Sfairopoulos had multiple complaints over certain officiating decisions that took place in the knockout game of his team against Bayern Munich for the first round of the EuroLeague Play-In.
Sfairopoulos criticized the refereeing as unfair to his team in the second half. He then mentioned a specific sequence with the score tied at 82-82 with 16 seconds left in regulation when Zvezda asked for an offensive foul on Bayern big man Devin Booker instead of a defensive foul on Zvezda guard Codi Miller-McIntyre.
“In the end of regulation it was an offensive foul [against Bayern Munich],” Sfairopoulos said to EuroLeague TV after Zvezda’s overtime loss. “They didn’t call it. They gave a defensive foul. It was an offensive foul before the defensive foul. Two free throw for us, game over. That’s all.”
After that, Carsen Edwards put Bayern up with a layup and on the other end, Filip Petrusev forced the extra period at the buzzer. Bayern prevailed in overtime to advance to the second round of the Play-In. They will face Real Madrid on the road.
“I didn’t make comments about referees due to respect. Today, I can’t respect what happened. In the second half, the referees didn’t call equally,” Sfairopoulos added in the post-game presser. “But the most important thing was this: With the score 82 – 82, they didn’t call the offensive foul on Booker. I think that this non-call that was two free throws for us, decided the game.”
After the final buzzer there was some tension on the floor between Bayern coach Gordon Herbert and Zvezda forward Nikola Kalinic.
Eventfull night in Munichpic.twitter.com/gVutxAKgJL
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) April 15, 2025