By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Uros Nikolic, a referee in the EuroLeague and AdmiralBet ABA League, and in Serbian domestic competitions as well, was arrested on Wednesday after local police found 250 thousand euros in his apartment.
The news was reported by Serbian state television, RTS, on Thursday morning.
Euroleague Basketball later issued an official statement, suspending the referee.
Per the press release: “In light of recent reports published in various media outlets regarding the arrest of referee Uros Nikolic by Serbian authorities, Euroleague Basketball would like to clarify the following:
- Referee Uros Nikolic is suspended from officiating in all Euroleague Basketball competitions until both the local authorities’ investigation and Euroleague Basketball’s internal review have concluded.”
His arrest has been linked to an international police operation concerning suspicions of a connection with an organized criminal group, according to Serbian outlet Blic. Later Thursday, he is expected to present his case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime of the Republic of Serbia.
A total of ten people were detained in Serbia, with the suspects being charged with serious crimes, including murder and disruption of public order.
Nikolic, 39, has been a Euroleague Basketball referee since 2019, with a successful run being headlined by appearances in the Final Four of the 2020-21 and 2023-24 installments of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. In 2021, he was part of the crew in the third-place game between AX Armani Exchange Milan and CSKA in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, alongside Juan Carlos García and Mehdi Difallah. In 2024, he was in charge of the third-place game between Olympiacos and Fenerbahce Beko, with Sreten Radovic and Carlos Peruga.
More recently, in Round 2 of the 2025-26 Regular Season, he joined Damir Javor and Dragan Porobic on the call for a clash between Real Madrid and Olympiacos in Movistar Arena on October 2.