Referee Bobby Celso will no longer be assigned to officiate games until the end of the conference following a controversial call during Petro Gazz and Creamline’s semifinal game in the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference last Thursday.

A league source told Daily Tribune that a memo will be released to the team managers to inform them that the PVL referee will take a leave of absence until the end of the conference.

“A memo will be released to the team managers. He will not be refereeing for the rest of the conference,” the source said on Friday.

The action came after Celso reversed the call on Creamline skipper Alyssa Valdez’s spike which was initially called out of bounds after a block by Petro Gazz’s MJ Phillips and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas at the end of the third set.

The Cool Smashers eventually won the third set and secured their first win in the semifinal round in the fourth set, 27-25, 23-25, 27-25, 26-24.

Petro Gazz, meanwhile, released a statement addressing the controversial call after it caused a buzz among volleyball fans and the players and coaches of Petro Gazz.

“While the first referee initially called the spike out and signaled a point for Petro Gazz, he would reverse his call and give the point to Creamline due to the Linesman indicating that a touch on the ball was made by one of the Angels,” the statement said.

“The reversal of the call caused an uproar among the fans in Philsports, and among the players and coaches of Petro Gazz who protested the reversal. What could’ve calmed the storm caused by the call could’ve been easily remedied had the First Referee done one of the following:”

The statement suggested that the referee could’ve insisted on his first call as Creamline could challenge it since Petro Gazz has no challenge left.

Petro Gazz also said that the First referee could’ve called for the referee closest to the play and the Linesman who made the call on the block touch to clarify the matter and ensure the call was correct.

Lastly, the statement suggested that the First Referee could’ve called for a referee’s challenge.

“We sincerely hope that the officiating lapses can be addressed to preserve the integrity of the PVL,” the statement said.

“Finally, we put this game behind us. We have played many PVL games, and we will play many more, against Creamline and all the other PVL teams. That, we can look forward to.”