why would anyone be a referee in a european soccer league?

what is the appeal? the way i see it, you work your way up to the big time just so your family can get death threats and your kids can no longer go to school. i imagine the pay isn't good and there is no way the stress can be worth it, even for the 'love of the game'. this is almost "defend the indefensible" imo, but anyway, why would anyone pick this profession?

Why would football referees have it any different than referees in other popular sports?

Anyway, I assume many of the referees are former players who are too old to play, but they don't want to or are not qualified to work in any other field. Seems quite logical to me.

Yes, it is. Only problem is it's not true

Well what's the truth then, if you know it?

In England (at the highest levels anyway), most get into it as part time sunday league stuff and get promoted up the leagues so to speak. Also, the majority have no problems and just have the occasional bad game - I can only think of Howard Webb (now Poll has retired) that I really object to - and get treated as such.

That and I bet no-one gets in to being a referee in Norway expecting to get death threats from Londoners.

they are all school teachers from villages with funny names

Anyway, I assume many of the referees are former players who are too old to play

I can't think of a single former footballer who has become a referee

Howard Webb was widely believed to be the best referee in the universe until about last month

Being a former footballer would make it hell if you were reffing for a former club right?

there's no way they would allow that...

It would be a bit like an ex-con becoming a prison officer

if i was a ref assigned to the man u-barca match i would quit after one of the last guys had to get smuggled out of the country or at least i would demand that my name not be released and also that i could wear a scream mask during the match

Webb has twice sent off Adebayor for... reasons unknown (Carling Cup final and Liverpool this season). Being a large black guy is about a close a reason as I came come up with. All before all this 'lol give him a winners medal if United win the league' malark.

(xpost)I don't think your assumption is correct, Tuomas. It's certainly not correct in the English leagues (at the moment).

I once read an interesting article written by a referee on just this subject - it talked about the thrill of seeing a game go on around you, watching it from the inside. It made the whole experience sound amazing.

By the time you get to a level where the death threats are made, you've been refereeing for a number of years: there may be complicating factors like the desire to get to the top of your profession. There will be at least some level of fame, which siome people will have grown to enjoy. Also you really have to have been able to handle the abuse - you'll have got slowly used to tens, then hundreds, then thousands of people singing nasty things about you. The death threats are fairly rare.

(I have long assuumed that Central and South American leagues are largely worse for the death threat thing, by the way, but that may just be a result of my uncritically swallowing wrong reporting in our football press.)

well they haven't actually killed any refs in the uk yet right?

Right. "They" haven't.

50 grand a year for those that are full time professionals. can't imagine jeff winters making that anywhere else tbh

why would anyone be a referee in a european soccer league?

it must be some kind of masochistic desire.

also most of the top referees seemed to have good jobs (like dentist or architect) so it's more like a hobby, like some guys go jogging every sunday.

I think it would be quite an enjoyable thing to do

Considering I don't think Tim Vickery's ever written an article on it (i.e. the only knowledge I have of South American football), I don't think refs get treated that badly over there. Plus in Brazil no-one turns up to non-derby/important matches anyway to abuse them.

I would willingly put myself and my family at risk for the chance to send John Terry off in a big game.

I think it pretty much boils down to 'why would anyone referee an important chelsea match?'

Fairly easy to referee Brazilian football as it's basically a non-contact sport

I sort of wonder whether refs all hang out with one another and appreciate the aesthetic side of it, watching old Collina videos and going "ah, look at that card work there, just majestic..."

would be fascinated to see how hard it is to actually give a penalty at Old Trafford or send John Terry off, when it comes to it

all apologising afterwards going sorry I have reviewed that and in retrospect it was the worst decision since Terry insisted on taking that penalty in the Champions League final ohhhhh

if i was a ref assigned to the man u-barca match i would quit after one of the last guys had to get smuggled out of the country

This is sort of devil's advocacy and probably nitpicking but wasn't it more that 'they' chose to do this on the offchance that someone might start some shit? I think it was Pete W on the Champs League threads that noted what a tabloidy fuss about nothing the 'death threats' were

Premiership refs weren't even paid until something like 2000, unless I'm mistaken?

I'd imagine CL refereeing is child's play compared to refereeing in, say, Colombia or somewhere. But that may be sheer blind prejudice talking.

I would willingly put myself and my family at risk for the chance to send John Terry off in a big game.

It'd get overturned anyway, so it's relatively harmless.

I think it was Pete W on the Champs League threads that noted what a tabloidy fuss about nothing the 'death threats' were

Well he would, his team are always the one involved!

On 12 March Frisk announced his immediate retirement, citing threats made to his family.[1] Two weeks previously, he had been severely criticised by Chelsea fans, players and management following his handling of a UEFA Champions League tie between Barcelona and Chelsea, during which he sent off Chelsea's Didier Drogba for receiving two cautions. Chelsea manager José Mourinho publicly accused Frisk of having invited Barça manager Frank Rijkaard into his room at half-time, an act that is against UEFA regulations.

UEFA charged Chelsea with inappropriate conduct following the match. Mourinho received a touchline ban for both legs of Chelsea's quarter-final against Bayern Munich for the suggestion that Rijkaard had entered the officials' dressing room. It was revealed on 7 April that the UEFA venue director, Pascal Fratellia, had observed Rijkaard say hello in the tunnel and then attempt to converse with Frisk about the match on the way to the officials' room. Allegedly Frisk told him that "This is not the place or the moment to talk about the match" and left Rijkaard outside the room. [2]

On 19 December, Frisk was awarded FIFA's Presidential Award as "recognition for a career cut short following death threats against his family" [3]. He presided over 118 international games during his 18 year career.

possibly worth it for leading to Mourinho smuggling himself into a stadium in a laundry bin or whatever the fuck happened

it's a bit weird that the refs have other jobs on the side. sure they have to retire at 45 (at UEFA and FIFA level anyway?), but compared to the status of the players they are pretty far behind.

Did us a favour getting rid of that ass, Frisk though

Anders Frisk's room at half time was usually full of Swedish ladies drinking champagne in their undies so no wonder Mourinho was upset.

Well Frisk strutted around in a posing pouch blowing his whistle and flashing his cards

that Frisk guy was the most Italian guy ever to come from Sweden.

Why would football referees have it any different than referees in other popular sports?

hahaha

I can't remember if the retirement age for refs is 45 or 50, but it's something along them lines, which I think is a major reason why so few former players (if, indeed, any) are football referees - the levels of fitness required for refereeing that and, I would imagine, rugby are much higher than most because the referee is constantly required to be moving with the play, and so covers as many yards as, if not more than, most of the players, albeit without doing any kicking or heading. I'm not sure about the extent to which this is true of American sports, cos it's been that long since I watched any basketball or American Football or ice hockey, but I don't think the umpires there tend to be on the playing surface quite as often.

think Webb is 47-48

oh uh 37 sry

it's Halsey who's 47; dunno what the fuck is wrong with these whingers priorities that Webb's Wikipedia page is protected but Halsey's isn't

Would not mind parallel between refereeing and football management, mind, e.g. despite having no prior experience Dion Dublin is picked to referee this year's FA Cup final. Ideally announced just before kick-off on the big screen at Wembley by Lord Triesman, with Dion taking the pitch in a cloud of dry ice while John Terry's eyeballs bulge in fear.

camera all focused on JT as he repeatedly mouths unconvincing threats, his eyes intermittently darting to the stands as he eyes a possible escape route

Dion all getting knocked unconscious just as Fellaini is about to put Everton in front, Kevin Muscat runs onto the pitch and RKOs Tim Cahill, then as Dion comes round John Obi Mikel kicks the ball off Phil Neville and Dion awards a goal kick.

Ice hockey refs (or whatever correct term) are indeed on the surface (and pretty damn good skaters obv)

Are there two refs in ice hockey?

Terry all desperately shoving Branislav Ivanovic in the way of an advancing Dublin, Ivanovic going down with one headbutt

Are hockey refs generally ex-players, tho?

Kinda wishing that little diversion had gone on longer tbh, anyway, where's caek

is there any particular reason none of the premier league referees are from greater london?