Lebanese Basketball’s Growing Refereeing Crisis

 

The past two week, Lebanese basketball delivered another uncomfortable reminder that something is deeply wrong with how officiating is handled in the league.

• Jihad El Khatib was suspended for the game against Harajel after objecting to refereeing decisions following the Beirut game.
• Beirut head coach Jad El Hajj received a two-game suspension for problems with referees.
• Riyadi and Lebanese National Team head coach Ahmad Farran was also suspended for one game after arguing with officials.

Three major basketball figures.
Three punishments.
One common theme.

Yet…

Where are the consequences for referees?

Accountability Only Goes One Way

Players get suspended.
Coaches get suspended.
Clubs get fined.

But referees?

Silence.

Every season, we witness:

• Missed obvious calls
• Inconsistent foul interpretations
• Late-game whistles that change outcomes
• Zero public explanations

And still:

• No announced suspensions
• No public reviews
• No transparent evaluations

If mistakes happen on the court — and they do — why is accountability reserved only for those reacting to them?

Emotional Reactions Don’t Happen in a Vacuum

Let’s be honest.

Jihad El Khatib didn’t wake up wanting to argue.
Jad El Hajj didn’t randomly decide to confront officials.
Ahmad Farran didn’t suddenly lose his temper for no reason.

These reactions come from accumulated frustration:

• Repeated questionable calls
• Poor communication with officials
• Feeling powerless inside games

Suspending people does not fix this.

It only hides it.

The Dangerous Message Being Sent

The league’s current approach sends a clear message:

“Don’t complain. Even if we are wrong.”

That is dangerous because:

• It normalizes poor officiating
• It protects mistakes instead of correcting them
• It creates fear instead of dialogue
• It damages trust

Fans lose trust.
Players lose trust.
Coaches lose trust.

And once trust is gone, the product suffers.

Nobody Is Asking for Perfect Referees

Mistakes happen.

What people are asking for:

• Transparency
• Performance evaluation
• Public acknowledgment of major errors
• Consequences when standards are not met

Just like:

• Players get benched for bad games
• Coaches get fired for poor results

Referees should also be evaluated.

Respect Goes Both Ways

Respect cannot be demanded.

It must be earned.

• Consistency
• Competence
• Accountability

Respect is a two-way street.

A League That Wants to Grow Must Face This

Lebanese basketball has:

• Talent
• Passion
• History

But it also has structural problems.

And officiating is one of them.

Suspending stars may calm things for a week.

Fixing refereeing standards would improve the league for years.

Jihad El Khatib is suspended.
Jad El Hajj is suspended.
Ahmad Farran is suspended.

Fine.

But the real question remains:

Who is holding the referees accountable?

Until that question is answered…

These situations will keep repeating.