Assistant Referees Research Articles

Training practices and perceptions of soccer officials: Insights from the Referee Training Activity Questionnaire

This study sought to: (1) document the multifaceted training practices of soccer officials in relation to their role and officiating category; and (2) explore the association between the officials’ training practices and perceptions of the attributes pertinent to optimal performance. Field referees and assistant referees at officiating categories 1–3 ( n = 173) with the Scottish Football Association were invited to participate in this national cross-sectional study. Using the Referee Training Activity Questionnaire (RTAQ), officials reported the volume and type of training engaged in during a 2-week in-season period. Respondents’ perceptions of the skills pertinent to performance were also explored using a 7-point Likert scale ( 1 = not at all important; 7 = extremely important), with the frequency in which they trained these skills assessed using a 5-point Likert Scale ( 1 = less than once a month; 5 = more than once a week). Ninety-one responses were received, representing a 52.6% response rate. Irrespective of their role or level of professional attainment, the officials’ training was focused mostly on physical conditioning, with significantly less time apportioned to decision-making ( P < 0.001; ES = 1.28), psychological ( P < 0.001; ES = 1.47), and technical ( P < 0.001; ES = 1.23) skills training. Meanwhile, although decision-making and psychological skills were rated as “ very important” to “ extremely important” amongst both field referees and assistant referees, officials purposefully trained these skills “ less than once a month.” The present study provides important new insights into the training practices engaged in by soccer officials. As accurate decision-making is at the forefront of soccer officiating, enhancing the exposure of match officials to match-related decision-making during training should be considered a priority for future research.

Development of the Effect of Video Assistant Referee Application on Football Parameters

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) application is a technological development that gives referees the chance to review their critical decisions. The current study aimed to determine the effect of the VAR system in international football organizations on the game over the years. The sample of the study consists of 115 football matches, specifically 64 matches played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 51 matches played in the 2020 European Football Championship. In the competitions handled, the number of goals, the number of yellow cards, the number of red cards, the first half time, the second half time, the total match time, the number of penalties and the number of offsides were examined. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare two independent groups. As a result, in the 2020 European Football Championship, there was a decrease in the second half time (p = 0.01) and total match time (p = 0.01), and a significant increase in the number of offsides (p = 0.03) compared to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between the two tournaments in the variables of number of goals, number of yellow cards, number of red cards, half time and penalty shootout (p > 0.05). In light of the data obtained, it can be said that the effect of the VAR system on the spirit of the game will decrease as the share of the VAR system in the pauses during the competition decreases over the years. The data revealed in the study may be a clue to explaining why the effect of the VAR system on game dynamics and game spirit has decreased over the years. Therefore, the concerns of football stakeholders about the effects of the system on the game may gradually decrease with the arrangements made for VAR.

The Application of Artificial Intelligence in Football Risk Prediction.

Football is the most popular sports in the World, with an estimated global following of 4.0 billion fans worldwide. Football draws attention from people of various age groups. The result of the game only decides the performance of the team and individual players. The player has to train smarter to avoid a career-ending injury. Sports have also entered into the new era of artificial intelligence as any industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) in football acts like a teammate to the players and also plays the role of an assistant coach. The coach uses artificial intelligence and incorporates it into the traditional way of training. The Football Associations have already implemented sensors to collect data in the form of technologies such as Video Assistant Referee and Goal Line Technology. Additionally, the quality of the players and the coaches is improved with smart technological implementation. This technology itself incorporates the utilization of smart technologies for data acquisition using sensor networks and an intelligent data analysis. The proposed algorithm is compared with the fuzzy logic model (FLM) and found that it is 7.2% of higher risk predication by the proposed model than the existing.

Video Assistant Referee in a Small-Nation Context: Intensified Mediatization

Using the Danish Superliga as a case, this article explores how football’s implementation of a video assistant referee (VAR) instigates complex processes of change which imply not only a further decrease in football’s institutional autonomy, but also intensifies inequality. It is argued that the implementation has to be seen from the perspective of professional football’s historical relationship with broadcast television; however, implementation of VAR represents a qualitative shift in the digital age, in which football’s dependence on media reaches a new functional level. André Jansson’s critical conceptualization of mediatization as transactional, ritual, and functional dependence is used as a framework for exploring how values, roles, and practices are under transformation among players, coach/managers, and referees. The analysis illustrates how the small-nation context, existing national and international hegemonic structures, and inequalities in combination with media logic and economics play a significant role and influence ongoing renegotiations of values and practices among these key actors. It also shows how refereeing is becoming much more complex with VAR, moving the pressure to the new role as video assistant referee, creating dilemmas in the team of referees and changing the authority of the referee from an individual into a more collective matter.

Mediatized Engagements with Technologies: “Reviewing” the Video Assistant Referee at the 2018 World Cup

This article presents the implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as an example of the increasingly layered mediatization of sports. We argue that, while integrated into the established broadcasting protocols, VAR becomes an object of explicit reflection and popular debate—and increasingly so, when football and its TV coverage are discussed on “technologies of engagement” like Twitter. Combining the concept of mediatization with insights from Science and Technology Studies, this article discusses how and why sports systematically contribute to what we call “mediatized engagements with technologies.” The combination of football’s “media manifold” comprising epistemic technologies, television, and social media with its knowledgeable and emotionally invested audience inevitably limits the “black-boxing” of a refereeing technology. Our case study analyses how fans, journalists, and others evaluate VAR in action on Twitter during the men’s 2018 FIFA World Cup. Based on a multilingual dataset, we show, among other examples, how the media event displays the technology as a historical innovation and analyze why even the allegedly “clear and obvious” cases of its application create controversies. In conclusion, the article discusses how the layered mediatization of sports, its partisanship, and ambivalent relationship with technologies stimulate engagement far beyond the fair refereeing issue.

The video assistant referee (VAR) as neo-coloniality of power? Fan negative reactions to VAR in the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup

The 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup saw the controversial introduction of VAR in the global stage, meanwhile little research has examined supporters’ reactions to it. To understand how fans experienced VAR we employed a digital sociological approach by focusing on one loosely defined online community. We scraped over 300,000 comments from 31 videos on YouTube that were subsequently critically analysed. Three main categories emerged: Global North vs Global South; Non-Neutrality of Technology; VAR is Killing the Beautiful Game. In this paper our analysis focus on the first category to argue that VAR was experienced by supporters as neo-colonial technological tool. Fans recognised VAR as: favouring loosely defined Global North sides; and improving Global North sides’ chances of winning. Our nuanced analysis of technologization of sport shows how it was both experienced by supporters as a power implementing artefact, but also provide a place for loosely defined antisystemic movements to emerge.

The Effect of the Video Assistant Referee System Implementation on Match Physical Demands in the Spanish LaLiga.

The present study aimed to analyze the influence of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) on match physical demands in the top Spanish professional football league. Match physical demand data from all the matches for two seasons (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) in the First Spanish Division (n = 1454) were recorded using an optical tracking system (ChyronHego®). Total distance, relative total distance covered per minute, distance covered between 14–21 km·h−1, distance covered between 21–24 km·h−1, and distance covered at more than 24 km·h−1 were analyzed; also, the number of sprints between 21–24 km·h−1 and more than 24 km·h−1 were taken into consideration. The times the VAR intervened in matches were also taken into account. Results showed that total distance and relative total distance significantly decreased in seasons with VAR compared to seasons without VAR. Finally, distance covered between 21–24 km·h−1, distance covered at more than 24 km·h−1, and the number of high-intensity efforts between 21–24 km·h−1 and more than 24 km·h−1 increased in seasons with VAR compared to seasons without VAR, but the differences were nonsignificant. Thus, these findings help practitioners to better understand the effects of the VAR system on professional football physical performance and to identify strategies to reproduce competition demands.

Affected but not involved: Two-scenario based investigation of individuals’ attitude towards decision support systems based on the example of the video assistant referee

ABSTRACT To fully realize the benefits of Decision Support Systems (DSS), it is important to investigate factors influencing individuals who are affected by the DSS’ decision but are not involved in decision-making. An example of such DSS is the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in professional football. Drawing on transparency and justice research, we examined the role of transparency, procedural justice, and social influence on individuals’ attitudes towards the VAR. A quantitative vignette-based approach (N = 824) using two scenarios (fans watching from home/in stadiums) was chosen. Results indicate that all variables are higher in the home setting. Structural equation modelling revealed that transparency, procedural justice, and social influence significantly impact individual’s attitude towards the VAR. Multigroup analyses showed that the effect size of one transparency dimension is significantly stronger at home, while social influence is stronger in stadiums. To further interpret the findings, we conducted twelve semi-structured interviews among football fans.

Effectiveness of Sensor-Based Media to Improve Referee Education

The purpose of this research is to produce a new product in the form of censorship media and video assistant referee (VAR) in assisting referee leadership in a championship to achieve fair play. This research uses the Research and Development (RD) method from Sugiyono using ten steps. The place of research was carried out at the All-Indonesian Volleyball Association, Deli Serdang Regency. The population and sample in this study were 36 Deli Serdang Regency volleyball players with a small sample of 6 people, a large sample of 16, and a comparison sample of 14. For the referee sample, six nationally licensed and nine regional licensed referees. The results of this study include Net and VAR sensors used to develop a player error detection tool when smashing and blocking. The results are obtained from the data from expert validation, including: (1) Material experts 92.3% with the "Very Eligible" category. (2) Media Experts 92.5% with the "Very Eligible" category. In large-scale trials on referees and athletes, the resulting percentages were 90.8% and 92.7%, respectively, while in the comparison trial, the percentage produced was 92.5%.

‘It’s not football anymore’: perceptions of the video assistant referee by english premier league football fans

ABSTRACT This article draws on the responses of one hundred English Premier League Football fans and their perceptions of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during the 2019/2020 season. A multi-sited ethnographic study was applied to capture fans opinions of VAR who were physically present at matches. Data was collected at pubs, fan areas, family zones, public areas, and online on Premier League Forums and Official Message Boards. Fans indicated various themes such as accuracy, flow, in the dark, ruining the moment and acceptance. The results of this study expose significant complexities between the VAR and the experience of matchday fans. Findings also hold implications for the continuous discussion surrounding VAR in elite football. Overall, this paper contributes to the literature that explores decision-aid technology in sport and the evolution of football fandom in England.

Match Physical and Physiological Response of Amateur Soccer Referees: A Comparison between Halves and Match Periods.

The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in the external and internal load in amateur match officials between the 1st and 2nd half and among different 15 min periods. Twenty-three field referees (FRs) and 46 assistant referees (ARs) from the Spanish División de Honor participated in this study. Match external and internal loads were monitored showing that FRs recorded a lower Powermean, Speedmean, Cadencemean and Stiffnessmean (p < 0.05; d = 0.52 to 0.57) during the 2nd half and they also recorded a lower HRmean, and HRpeak, and spent less time in zone 5 (p < 0.05; d = 0.50 to 0.62). The FRs’ match load decreased during the match but they performed higher Powermean and covered more distance in the last 15 min of the match (p < 0.01; d = 0.87 to 4.28). The ARs external load did not show significant variations between halves, but ARs recorded a lower HRmean and spent less time in zone 5 (p < 0.01; d = 0.41 to 0.63), and the highest values of Powermean, Speedmean, Cadencemean and Vertical oscillationmean during the first 15 min of the match (p < 0.05; d = 0.45 to 0.75). The highest values of HRmean and distance covered were in the 0–15 min period. Results suggest that match load decreases as the match progresses because of the neuromuscular fatigue but increases in the last 15 min.

Video Assistant Referee and Home Field Advantage: Implications for Referee Bias

Video Assistant Referee and Home Field Advantage: Implications for Referee Bias

코로나19 팬데믹에 의한 문화행사 관람형태의 변화 연구 ╶ 원격관람객과 현장감을 중심으로╶

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the changes and characteristics of viewing patterns that have occurred as the number of on-site performances, exhibitions, and sporting events decreased and remote viewing increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the size of the liveness. In order to examine the change in viewing patterns according to the temporal aspects of the pandemic, site visits before the pandemic, non-face-to-face remote viewing in 2020, and parallel on-site and remote viewing, centered on those who completed vaccinations from 2021. Live broadcasting of sporting events was common before the pandemic, and although performances were broadcast live, remote viewing of exhibitions and expositions was known as a pandemic. The size of the liveness in this viewing culture has a hierarchy according to spatial coexistence, temporal simultaneity, and viewing method. On-site audiences are allowed only to a few who can afford the economic cost and time, so they play the role of cultural capital. However, as the number of special effects using augmented reality, which is difficult to see in on-site viewing, and video assistant referees in sports events are increasing, the status of on-site viewing and remote viewing is gradually changing.

The Level Of Anxiety’s Referees Of Langsa (Football Association Of Indonesia) When Enforcing The Laws Of The Game During A Match

Football is a popular sport that is loved by all levels of society and throughout the world. A football match always engages a referee who enforces the game to oversee the course of the game consisting of the head referee and assistant referee. This article discusses the level of anxiety of the C-3 soccer referee at the PSSI Askot Langsa City, which amounted to 26 people. The research method used is descriptive quantitative with a survey approach. This study was to figure out information on the anxiety level of the C-3 referee while leading the match; the results showed 17 referees with a percentage of 65% in the high anxiety category and nine referees with a portion of 35% in the very high category. Factors that affect the referee's anxiety are the audience pressure factor. The high atmosphere of the match when the home team is competing and the human error factor from the referee itself is appeared because the referee hesitates in making decisions so that the same mistakes are repeated by head referee and assistant referee during a match underway.

Fans’ Perceptions towards Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the English Premier League

The video assistant referee (VAR) in association football was developed to help on-field referees judge potentially game-changing decisions correctly by reviewing video evidence in real time. VAR was implemented by the English Premier League (EPL) ahead of the 2019/20 season. Despite its potential benefits, VAR also presents the risk of not being well perceived by fans. This article aims to investigate fans’ perceptions towards VAR in the EPL. Total of 1350 EPL fans from different age groups above 18 years old completed an online survey on their opinion of VAR and changes they felt would make VAR better. The majority of fans were happy for VAR to continue being used in the EPL, but expressed that changes need to be made in terms of how VAR is being used by on-field referees and to assess certain situations. All age groups were generally positive towards the idea of using technology in the EPL to support referee decisions and provide more information to in-stadium fans, but younger age groups showed significantly more positive perceptions than their older counterparts. Implications include advice for the EPL to make changes according to fans’ opinions and to develop frameworks for making changes with fans as stakeholders in mind.

Influence of Football Match-Play on Isometric Knee Flexion Strength and Passive Hip Flexion Range of Motion in Football Referees and Assistant Referees.

The aim of this study was to examine the acute effect of officiating a football (soccer) match on isometric knee flexion strength and passive hip flexion range-of-motion (ROM) in referees and assistant football referees. Twelve referees (25.3 ± 3.3 years) and twenty-three assistant referees (25.1 ± 4.8 years) underwent measurements on isometric knee flexion strength and passive hip flexion ROM before and after officiating an official football match. Referees’ and assistant referees’ running patterns were monitored during the match using GPS technology. In comparison to pre-match values, referees reduced their isometric knee flexion strength (−12.36%, p = 0.046, Effect size [ES] = −0.36) in the non-dominant limb, while no significant differences were reported in the dominant limb (−0.75%, p = 0.833, ES = −0.02). No effect of the match was found in hip flexion ROM values in dominant (−4.78%, p = 0.102, ES = −0.15) and non-dominant limb (5.54%, p = 0.544, ES = 0.19). In assistant referees, the pre-to-post-match changes in isometric knee flexion strength (dominant limb −3.10%, p = 0.323, ES = −0.13; non-dominant limb −2.18%, p = 0.980, ES= 0.00) and hip flexion ROM (dominant limb 1.90% p = −0.816, ES = 0.13; non-dominant limb 3.22% p = 0.051, ES = 0.23) did not reach statistical significance. Officiating a match provoked a reduction in isometric knee flexion strength in the non-dominant limb of football referees, while no differences were reported in assistant referees.

Evaluation of Visual Skills in Soccer Referees and Assistant Referees.

Background: As a soccer referee or an assistant referee, having perfect visual skills is mandatory, which will help make quick and accurate decisions in the field of the play and during matches; however, this skill is not well studied among referrers. This study aimed to assess the visual skills of referees and assistant referees. Methods: Men’s professional referees and assistant referees working for the Iran football federation were investigated in 2019. The visual skill investigation consists of the evaluation of static visual acuity, color vision, stereoacuity, intraocular pressure, confrontation test, and eye anatomical assessment with slit lamp. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software Version 18. Results : In this study, 159 men’s professional referees and assistant referees with a mean age of 35.52±5.39 were selected. The results of this study showed that 1.88% of the referees and assistant referees had color blindness dyschromatopsia) and 3.14% of them needed more follow-up examinations. The mean spherical equivalent of examined eyes was -0.42D in the right eye and -0.16 D in the left eye. Conclusion: Our results showed that referees and assistant referees both had some kind of visual skill deficiencies. As visual skills are among the fundamental skills for success in referees in dynamic sports such as soccer, all of them must undergo visual skill assessments during the precompetition period to avoid any errors in judgment due to visual disturbances.

The Covid-19 pandemic and Asian Football Confederation match officials

An essential requirement of sport, and especially elite professional sport, are umpires, judges, referees, and other adjudicators of the rules of the games. Yet studies of match officials, in the social sciences especially, have only relatively recently begun to gain traction. This article traces the challenges and opportunities association football match officials (referees and assistant referees) in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) faced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and early 2021. It provides an overview of the strategies and actions that the AFC took, primarily drawing on analysis of ethnographic observations, documentary evidence and notes from the research diary of an AFC elite referee with the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA). The article identifies key aspects of pandemic-related developments and indicates how these may have altered future processes of training and development of referees in the AFC for good. The article thus offers a distinctive contribution to the development of referee studies focussing as it does on the experiences of match officials outside of Europe.

Did the quarantine period of covid-19 interfere with the physical demands of central referees and assistants in professional soccer in a high level competition in Brazil?

This study compares the performance demanded from central referees and soccer assistants during professional games before and after the quarantine of COVID-19 during the same competition. Ten central referees and 19 assistants were monitored. Using a watch with Global Positioning System technology and a heart rate monitor, data were obtained of the distance they moved and information on their heart rate. A game before the quarantine period was compared to a game played 128 days after the quarantine period. These participants represented all the referees who played at least one game in the pre- and post-quarantine period of the same high-level competition in Brazil. The results indicated that the total distance, average, and maximum heart rate did not present significant differences between the pre-and post-quarantine time of the central and assistant referees, except for the distance covered by the assistant referees in the second half, which was significantly greater in the post-quarantine period (Δ%=6.27; P=0.034). In conclusion, the central referees and assistants' performance was not affected after the 128-day quarantine period compared to the traditional transition period between the 37-day seasons.

Sports and Technology

This research article examines the use of technology in sports from a double-edged perspective. This article focuses on some of the remarkable technological advancementwhich has revolutionized and impeded the sport industry as whole. From introduction ofmodern technology in training of players to reducing the faults in game through variousmeasures like Video Assistant Referee and Goal Line Technology, the development andimplementation of technology in sports has played a vital role in improving the standardof game, for players as well as for spectators. However, only a few research works havebeen conducted and a minimum of articles have been written on the hindrances causedby those technology and problems with proper implementation of technology in sports. This paper is prepared after in-depth research of news by various sports portals, channels and magazines along with the views of experts of diff erent sports who have recognizedthe need and development of technology in sports. This paper further elucidates on howthe advancement has benefi tted and the fi eld of sports with substantial infl uence on game results by mitigation of errors which were inevitable when technology was not usedin past. Based on elucidation of different primary and secondary sources, such as journal articles, newspapers, magazines, sports portals and events, case laws, statutes, this research article is mostly qualitative than quantitative.