La Liga Endesa renews its refereeing rules for 2026-27

The upcoming season of the Liga Endesa will bring about a profound transformation in the fouls and sanctions system that will govern Spanish basketball. The ACB Arbitration Department has been working intensively to prepare for the implementation of these regulatory changes, which aim to make the game fairer and more proportional in its punishments. The referees recently held a training camp in Valencia where they laid the groundwork for this campaign, and now they are visiting all the clubs to explain the updates to sports directors, coaches, and teams.

The end of unsportsmanlike fouls: disruptive and flagrant fouls

One of the most relevant changes directly affects the categorization of fouls that were previously classified as unsportsmanlike. This category disappears and is divided into two distinct types: disruptive fouls and flagrant fouls. Although both carry the same immediate penalty —two free throws and possession for the opposing team— the difference lies in their implications for player disqualification and the intention behind each infraction.

The philosophy behind this division is to establish greater proportionality in the sanctions. The aim is to isolate truly serious contacts from tactical interruptions to the game that, although irregular, do not imply deliberate unsportsmanlike conduct. Consequently, disruptive fouls will not count toward the accumulation that leads to player disqualification, while flagrant fouls will. This change allows referees to more accurately distinguish between a tactical foul and an action that poses a real risk to the physical integrity of the opponent.

Disruptive fouls: tactics without violence

Disruptive fouls represent a new category specifically designed for those plays in which a defender tries to stop an opponent's transition without having a real option to play the ball, but without being aggressive or violent. Clear examples include fast breaks where the defender does not make a genuine effort to contest the ball, or when, as the last defender, the attacker heads alone towards the basket. It also includes fouls clearly committed to stop the clock in the last seconds of a quarter or overtime, without the possibility of playing the ball.

The fundamental characteristic of these infractions is that they do not accumulate toward the player’s cumulative disqualification. A defender can commit multiple disruptive fouls during a game without the risk of being expelled for accumulation. This reflects the intent of the regulation to acknowledge that there are moments in basketball where tactical defense requires certain contacts that, although technically fouls, do not represent violent or unsportsmanlike conduct. The goal is to allow the game to flow naturally while punishing the infringement fairly.

Flagrant fouls: violent contact and risk of injury

On the opposite end are flagrant fouls, a category reserved for those infringements that exceed the logical and normal contacts of basketball. These are violent fouls or those that may pose a real risk of injury to the opponent, regardless of whether or not they have possession of the ball. The fundamental difference with disruptive fouls is that these do accumulate toward cumulative disqualification. A player can be expelled for accumulating two flagrant fouls or for the combination of one flagrant and one technical foul of category 1.

This classification reinforces the protection of players' physical integrity by establishing a clear line between permitted aggressive defense and behaviors that transcend the limits of fair play. Referees will have a more precise tool to assess the severity of each contact and apply proportional sanctions.

Technical fouls: conduct versus administration

Another pillar of the regulatory reform affects technical fouls, which are now divided into two distinct categories. The aim is not to penalize participant conduct violations in the same way as those that have a purely administrative nature. The signaling on the court remains the same as before, with hands forming a "T," but the interpretation and consequences vary significantly.

Category 1 technical fouls encompass all those related to conduct, applicable to both players and coaches. They can be signaled against anyone who treats any participant of a match disrespectfully, including players, coaches, fans, referees, or table officials. Taunts, provocations, offensive language, and challenging behavior fall within this category. An important new aspect is that if there is a confrontation between players with physical contact, a Category 1 technical can be assessed if that contact does not reach the level of flagrant or disqualifying. These fouls do accumulate toward disqualification, whether by accumulating two Category 1 technical fouls or by adding one of this type to a flagrant foul.

Category 2 technical fouls, on the other hand, have a purely administrative nature and can only be received by players. They include actions such as delaying the game on a free throw, hanging on the rim without justified reason, entering the court late to start a period, or touching the ball before it reaches the rim on the last free throw. These infractions do not accumulate toward disqualification.

Precision in the shooting action: penetrations and shots

The new regulation also introduces significant changes in the definition of when a player is in the shooting action, which determines whether a foul results in free throws or a sideline out. This precision applies both to penetrations to the basket and to shots from a distance.

In basket penetrations, which normally occur between the 6.75-meter line and the basket, a foul by an opponent counts as a shooting action when the ball is controlled and rests in one or both hands of the player. For shots, whether stationary or in motion, the shooting action begins at the exact moment when the player initiates the upward movement of both the ball and the shoulders towards the opponent's basket.

An important new requirement is introduced: for it to count as a shooting action, the player must have crossed half court with both feet and the ball in front. If only one foot has touched the front court, it is not considered a shooting action. However, there is an exception for shots taken at the end of a possession, a quarter, or overtime. In these cases, a shooting action could be considered anywhere on the court, both in the front court and the back court, provided that the ball rests in one or both hands before receiving contact.

Referee preparation and visits to the eighteen teams

The ACB Arbitration Department and the referees of the competition are in full preparation for the 2026-27 season. Following the training camp held in Valencia, where the foundations of the campaign were laid, the Arbitration Department has begun a tour of all the Liga Endesa clubs. During these weeks, all ACB teams receive a visit from a Liga Endesa referee who personally explains the regulatory updates and resolves any doubts that may arise among sports directors, coaches, and players.

This process of direct communication is crucial to ensure that all actors in Spanish basketball properly understand the application of the new changes. Uniformity in the interpretation of these rules is essential to maintain the credibility of refereeing and ensure that the competition is conducted fairly and consistently across all matches of the season.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La Liga Endesa renueva sus normas arbitrales para 2026-27