ABA League postpones season start due to referee dispute

ABA League referee dispute basketball season delay sports labor dispute regional basketball

The start of the ABA League and ABA 2 seasons has been delayed due to an escalating dispute between league management and referees. A group of 63 referees, represented by legal counsel, requested significant increases in compensation, including base fees of up to 1,200 euros per regular season game and 2,000 euros for finals, alongside bonuses, health insurance, and injury compensation.

League leadership rejected these demands, characterizing them as extortion, and attempted to resolve the issue by opening a new tender for referees. While over 50 individuals applied, the situation became further complicated when several newly selected referees withdrew after receiving communications from an email address allegedly misusing the ABA League's intellectual property.

The resulting administrative chaos led to the postponement of the inaugural round of games. Several clubs, including Cibona and Bosna BH Telecom, were directly impacted; Cibona was notified not to travel to Podgorica for their scheduled match against Budućnost, and Bosna players had already begun traveling to Zadar before the official postponement was announced. The league has stated it will provide updates on the new schedule as the situation develops.

Entities

ABA League · Bosna BH Telecom · Budućnost · Cibona · Crvena Zvezda · Miguel Ángel Pérez · Ostoja Mijailovic · Zadar

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Five clubs—Crvena zvezda, Mega, Igokea, Krka, and Zadar—accused the League Presidency of mismanagement and undermining competition quality. sportal.blic.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] The ABA League members unanimously decided on September 18, 2026, to hold a competition for a new list of referees for the 2026/27 season. www.sportmagazin.rs
[● 2 SOURCES] The ABA League Presidency plans to take urgent legal action to protect its intellectual property. www.sportmagazin.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] ABA League President Ostoja Mijailović expressed hope that the season will begin as scheduled on September 25. sportal.blic.rs
[○ 1 SOURCE] Several referees withdrew from potential assignments after receiving messages from an unauthorized Gmail address using the league's name.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Referee Commission President Miguel Angel Perez compiled a list of 20 referees on September 23, 2026.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Fifty referees applied for the new referee list.