FORMER NBL referees chief Mal Cooper says a lack of officiating accountability led to the heinous incorrect charge call against Jerome Randle which cost Adelaide its match in Perth.

Experienced referee Matt Beattie called a charge against Randle with 11 seconds remaining when Wildcats centre Matt Knight had no legal defensive position, and additionally crashed to the floor as if struck by a rampaging wildebeest.

“The call was wrong,” said Cooper, one of the league’s most experienced past referees and who was in charge of the NBL’s officials from 2013-15.

“It was probably a no-call or, if anything, a blocking foul on Knight.”

While the match — and several other matches across the weekend — was riddled with poor officiating decisions, the Randle/Knight call helped determine the result.

Instead of Randle shooting two free throws for the lead at 101-102 down and Perth then being forced to fashion a last-play win, the 36ers had to foul, the match concluding in a 103-106 loss.

“You have to let the players determine the outcome,” Cooper said.

“Matt (Beattie) has refereed a grand final and he’s no mug. He’s one of our best.

“But no-one is disciplined for poor performance. Someone has to be accountable.

“If players stuff up, they get subbed out. If a ref stuffs up, nothing happens.

media_camera Casey Prather forces his way through to the basket.

“There needs to be some accountability taken by the league to make sure this sort of stuff doesn’t continue to happen.

“A referee should not determine a game and should not determine a player’s livelihood.”

Scott Butler, who is in charge of NBL referees this season, was unavailable for comment when The Advertiser approached the league seeking clarifications.

Butler succeeded Albert Joseph, who lasted one year in the tough role.

“I tried to make them accountable during my time and took them off games and eventually I got sacked,” Cooper said.

The NBL this season took the unprecedented step of appointing two fulltime referees in Michael Aylen and Vaughan Mayberry, Olympic Games officials and two of our finest.

It was a positive move but dropping quality NBL refs such as Raoul Kirsten from the panel only further has thinned its ranks.

The behaviour of frustrated coaches along the sidelines also further has deteriorated which never is a good look for a league in transition to a higher profile.

The 36ers are at home on Saturday against Illawarra Hawks from 5pm, both teams endeavouring to move from the ladder’s lower levels.