The Impossible Job

“Refereeing is not about being liked, but about being trusted and trust is hard to earn, easy to lose. This book understands that.”
– Slavko Vincic, 2024 Champions League final referee.

“Loving football from the perspective of someone who enforces the rules gives you a different way of seeing the game. This book helps you understand the complexities of an often criticised role."
– Marco Guida, Champions League and Serie A referee.

Booed by crowds.
Sworn at by players.
Spat on from the stands.
Threatened.
Accused.
Hated.

Welcome to the world of football refereeing.

We see referees every week, but very few of us really know what they go through both on the pitch and after the final whistle.

In this revealing and meticulously reported book, journalist William Ralston interviews referees at all levels of the game, from amateur Sunday leagues right up to the bright lights of the Premier League, Champions League clashes and even World Cups, to get the full, unvarnished truth of this essential but impossible job.

With unrivalled access to UEFA, FIFA and PGMO – the body responsible for Premier League referees – Ralston uncovers the intense selection processes, the brutal physical and psychological training regimes they have to go through, and the pressures that intensify as officials rise through the game.

He immersed himself in the lives of leading referees in Europe’s five major leagues – Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and, of course, the Premier League – on match days and at home, and even trained as a referee himself to experience the pressures first-hand.

Through a vast range of memorable games and era-defining moments, he looks at the increasing influence of VAR, the escalating demands of the game, the way referees judge fouls, the art of getting a game right and the consequences of getting it wrong.

Revealing a side of the game you have never seen before, The Impossible Job is the first book to fully explore the truly unbelievable world of refereeing. You’ll never watch a game the same way again.