Paulo Marques, a respected referee from Portugal’s Porto Basketball Association, is gearing up for his second straight Eurobasket appearance. He’s not just showing up; he’s aiming high. Marques has his sights set on officiating games in the knockout rounds. But if you ask him, his ultimate dream is to take charge of the final match.
“Making it to the final is always the big wish,” Marques told the Lusa agency. “But I know how tough that will be. My first goal is to be chosen for the second phase, to stay until the very end. If I hit that first target, then I’d love to at least handle a quarter-final game.”
At 48 years old, Marques brings a lot of experience to the court. He officiated the first leg of the 2025 Eurocup final, a big game between Bilbao Basket and PAOK. He also worked six games at the Women’s Eurobasket. His upcoming trip to the men’s Eurobasket will mirror his involvement in the 2022 tournament.
Marques sees these repeated call-ups as a reward for his hard work. “It’s a direct result of what I’ve been doing these past few years,” he explained. “My performance has been solid, and that’s why these assignments keep coming.”
Back in 2022, Marques was busy, officiating six games. Five of those were in Group C in Milan, and he even got to work one of the Round of 16 clashes in Berlin. He knows this event is huge. It’s the biggest basketball championship in Europe, packed with NBA stars, including Portugal’s own Neemias Queta.
“It’s a tremendous honor to represent Portugal,” Marques noted, “but it also comes with heavy responsibility. Others see us as a small country in basketball terms. That view makes the pressure even bigger for me.” He understands that even a small mistake can create a very big problem.
Portugal’s national team hasn’t been in the European Championship since 2011. However, Portuguese referees tell a different story. Since 2007, they’ve only missed one edition, in 2017. Marques sees this as a testament to teamwork. “It shows years of effort from a strong group of referees,” he said. He specifically mentioned fellow officials Fernando Rocha, LuÃs Lopes, António Coelho, António Pimentel, and Sérgio Silva, calling them a “group used to the big stage.”
Marques is the only Portuguese referee among the 45 officials from 28 countries chosen for Eurobasket 2025. He believes these consistent selections prove he and his colleagues have worked hard, both as a team and individually. Now, the challenge is finding new referees who can reach this top level. Marques says “there is talent” coming up. But for now, he remains the standard-bearer for Portuguese officiating at the 2025 European Championship.
When it comes to game day, referee teams often change. “That’s completely normal now,” Marques shared. “Almost everyone at Eurobasket, except those from outside Europe, has already worked together. We have good chemistry and clear rules, so we just need to do our best as a three-person crew.”
After attending a preparation clinic in Riga, Marques will travel to Limassol, Cyprus. There, he will be calling games in Group C. This tough group includes basketball powerhouses like Greece (featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo), Spain, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, and the host team, Cyprus.
“It’s going to be a real test,” the Portuguese referee concluded to Lusa. “You’ve got Greece with Giannis, plus Spain and Italy. Bosnia and Cyprus are also in there as potential spoilers. But it’s going to be great.”