If VAR catches a player offside by their toe, this is a correct decision. Whether this is what we want as fans is a philosophical debate.
Articles on Referees
Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles
The football technology being showcased at the 2026 World Cup often has its origins in university research.
The 2026 Afcon’s on-field disturbances should not take away from its accomplishments.
You might hear sports fans yell out to a referee or umpire: ‘I can do better than that!’ But becoming an elite official is a lot harder than most imagine.
One senior community football umpire said: ‘I was threatened with my life this year and the league did nothing about it.’ Here’s what needs to change.
Technological advances that lead to fairer, more accurate calls are often seen as triumphs. But new technology doesn’t mean perfect precision – nor does it necessarily create a better fan experience.
Referees’ calls often come under attack even though those making the criticisms know the punishmenst were warranted.
As Euro 2024 kicks off, the governing body of European football is urgently trying to recruit thousands of new grassroots officials. Is football really in danger of running out of referees?
Checking references has long been a part of the hiring process but it should only ever be one of a series of steps taken to assess someone’s qualifications.
A conflict resolution expert – and rugby fan – explains how the game can restore spectacle and avoid farcical and dangerous mismatches due to players being sent off.
The Premier League could learn a thing or two from Euro 2020’s referees.
The two-referee system was introduced to improve the flow of the game. So where’s the evidence to say dropping one ref would be any better for the game?
A data scholar explains why playing at home doesn’t provide the boost that it once did.
One of the most pressurised roles in the pressure cooker that is the Rugby World Cup is the referee. Threatening fans are causing them to quit the game at all levels.
Stéphanie Frappart’s Ligue 1 appointment is well deserved, but the reasoning behind it seems bregruding.
It’s not easy being a ref. Everyone’s your critic, and you have to run more than 8km each match to keep up with the play.
Even back in the 90s, researchers were trying to alert hiring managers to the ineffectiveness of this as a tool, noting some major problems.
English-speaking rugby referees are aiming to improve their foreign language skills – but how will this affect the game?
There are deep issues with the structure in which elite referees in England operate.
The data shows NRL referees get it right most of the time. So why do they still cop criticism?
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Senior Lecturer - Faculty of Health (School Exercise & Nutrition Sciences), Queensland University of Technology
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Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University
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Lecturer, The University of Melbourne
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Professor specialising in Internet law, Bond University
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PhD researcher in Translation Studies, Queen's University Belfast
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Associate Professor, Centre for Business in Society, Coventry University
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Clive Thompson is a Friend of The Conversation.
Research Associate, African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University
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Lecturer - Motor Learning & Development, Deakin University
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Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne
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Principal Lecturer in Athlete Mental Health, Cardiff Metropolitan University
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