(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-06 04:03

NEW YORK, - Referees will be able to use television replays to review flagrant fouls and player altercations from the start of the 2007-08 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Wednesday.

The move, recommended by the league's competition committee, was approved last week by the NBA's board of governors.

Under the new ruling, referees will be permitted to use instant replays to determine the severity of flagrant fouls. A player called for Flagrant Foul Penalty Two is automatically ejected from the game.

NBA officials also decided referees should be able to use television replays to sort out penalties following on-court altercations.

"They (referees) might not see a punch or other unsportsmanlike act committed by a player that might call for ejection," the NBA said in a statement.