Behind the whistle: from local fields to the biggest stage
By CQUniversity Senior Lecturer in Exercise & Sports Sciences, Dr. Nathan Elsworthy and Associate Professor Aaron Scanlan
“Oh come on ref, that’s not a penalty” is likely one of the most common phrases shouted by football supporters – whether it be a parent sitting on the sidelines while their child plays at the local fields, during the FIFA World Cup Final in New York City, or in your living room while watching a match on TV. I’m sure you can relate to some of these scenarios. Supporters are very passionate about their team and the want for them to win. However, there is often little consideration given to the referee regarding the role they must perform through their matches.
Roles of the referee
The all-encompassing role of the referee is to enforce the Laws of the Game. Seems easy right? While many of these laws are quite obvious and easy to implement, when we dig a little deeper into the specific requirements, referees are tasked with many responsibilities to ensure matches are played in a fair and safe manner.
Decision making
You are the referee…
90+ minutes have elapsed in the FIFA World Cup final and England and France are in a 1-1 stalemate. Harry Kane takes possession of the ball just outside the penalty box and William Saliba slides in and Kane falls to the turf, while the ball bobbles away. The 80,000+ crowd roars, in addition to the 1 billion+ watching on TV awaiting your decision. You are tired – you have just run 12 km, you are slightly out of position and another player has just obstructed your view at the worst possible time, you are mentally fatigued from all the decisions you have made already, you are stressed and anxious – English players turn to you, arms out, yelling “Foul!”, French players wagging their fingers illustrating “No foul!”. You awarded a foul earlier that looked similar, but in this scenario Saliba might have only got the ball.
Do you blow your whistle for a dangerous challenge? Do you wave it away? Is it a simulation and you award a foul against Kane? Does this job still seem easy?
You had one look in real time at the challenge, and you decide no foul, successful tackle. The game goes on and victory beckons for England or France in the moments to come (maybe after 30 minutes of extra time).
Decision-making is the most obvious task performed by referees, and by a fair margin, is the most controversial. During a 90-minute football match, referees award around 25-30 fouls. Beyond the fouls, there are around 200–250 total decisions (e.g. decisions related to corners, throw-ins and fair challenges). The decision-making process is twofold – firstly, to identify any infringements to the Laws of the Game, and secondly, to ensure matches are played in a fair and safe manner. Perhaps the most critical aspect of this process is the subjective nature of the decisions made. In this way, referee decisions are constantly scrutinised and in many cases decisions can have different possible outcomes. In the above example, there are three possible outcomes – foul against the defender, no foul, or foul for simulation – however, we could also consider the additional decision to award yellow/red cards for dangerous actions.
In addition to the subjectivity of decisions, there are many external factors that can impact referee decision-making. These factors include crowd size, stage of the match, physical stature of the players, and prior decisions in the match. As such, finding the ‘correct’ decision can be difficult. Indeed, while there are scenarios with clear cut decisions, in many cases, the ‘correct’ call is subject to wide debate and conjecture amongst players, supporters, media, and even referees and their coaching staff. (see final thoughts section later).
Match management
Match management by referees is an ongoing and mouldable process. A myriad of responses can be required from the referee depending on the situations faced in a match. For instance, a match between two hostile teams may require the referee to firstly provide verbal warnings to specific players, warnings to team captains, then award yellow cards which may not normally be awarded (i.e. a soft yellow). This management may help focus the players to improve the flow of play. In this regard, game management is an important skill required by referees that is not always obvious but can be essential to ensure a quality and entertaining match is played.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR)
The introduction of the VAR throughout most elite football competitions has provided a support mechanism for referees in reviewing their decisions. The VAR provides discussion and review of contentious decisions via multiple video replays with different perspectives of play. Overall, the VAR can stop the referee from making a howler – a decision they may have missed due to incorrect interpretation or missing key visual information.
Game movements
Football referees are exposed to similar, if not greater on-field demands than players. They typically cover 9 –12 km throughout a match at the elite level. Referees move around the field according to the movement of the ball to put them in the best position to make accurate decisions. These movements require proficient change-of-direction ability, speed, and aerobic capacity. A key challenge is to ensure that while they perform these physical demands, referees can maintain the required complex decision-making capacities throughout matches. Research specific to decision-making accuracy in referees shows a decline in accuracy during the final 15 minutes of a match. This suggests that fatigue towards the end of matches can reduce decision-making accuracy, which may be linked to reductions in the movement capabilities of the referee. Referees are required to maintain high levels of fitness to enable them to maintain the movement demands throughout a match to ensure they are able to keep up with play and continue to make accurate decisions throughout.
Other important skills
Communication
Referees are arbitrators and negotiators and in doing so, they must manage player behaviour and egos. Communication forms a major part of their role, especially when refereeing players who speak a different language (see video here for a great example). Referees are not a one-person team – they are a team of three or four official working together to enforce the Laws of the Game.
Preparation
While match-play lasts for 90 minutes, referees undertake extensive preparation across the week behind the scenes. For example, training 3–4 times a week to maintain all aspects of their physical fitness capacities, reviewing their previous performance, watching footage to improve decision-making and rule interpretation, and studying upcoming players and teams.
Reminder to supporters and players
Referees are human! They will make mistakes – but they don’t do it on purpose. It can be a difficult role and it is important that as a football community we all support the referees. There is a severe shortage of referees across the country, and their retention is a problem – “Across 2021–2023, each year over 50% of first year referees were lost to the game and have not returned to refereeing” Consider this next time you are out at your local community football match!
Without referees, your child’s recreation, local competition, and favourite league or national team don’t exist
Final thoughts. While I provided a hypothetical example earlier in this article, below is a recent actual case from the English Premier League.
Just recently, the football world was focused on a monumental decision in a match during the final weeks of the English Premier League – Arsenal vs West Ham. In the 95th minute, West Ham were trailing 0–1 and in need of a draw to avoid relegation, while Arsenal was one step closer to winning the title. From a corner kick, a goal was awarded to West Ham to level the score; however, a subsequent VAR review resulted in the goal being overturned due to a foul on the goalkeeper. In the days following, there was still conflicting views on the ‘correct’ decision.
This example epitomises the pressure in which the referees are under. Firstly, the on-field referee was completely obstructed from seeing the foul due to the players around the infringement, resulting in them awarding the goal. Secondly, the VAR intervened and after reviewing footage for more than 5 minutes, the decision was reversed. The subjective nature of referee decision-making was in full view along with the other competing demands and impactful aspects of the referees roles.
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