In order to understand the meaning of the term referee, we must previously establish what its etymological origin is. In this case, it can be said that it derives from Latin, more specifically from the noun “arbiter”, which can be translated as “judge”.
The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the term arbitrator refers to the individual who has the power to make certain decisions for himself, without depending on another subject.
In the field of law, an arbitrator is an authority that, chosen or accepted by the parties to a dispute, is in charge of resolving a conflict. The arbitrator must be impartial and issue his decision according to legal or equity criteria.
Typically, the parties decide to submit to an arbitrator to resolve the problem more quickly. If, instead, they resort to legal process, the litigation is likely to go much further in time until a court or judge rules on it.
In the field of sport, a referee is a person whose task is to apply the rules while a match or test is taking place, punishing the offenders and validating the results. Depending on the discipline, there may be more than one referee in each match.
If we focus on soccer, we will find a main referee who has the support of two assistant referees (also called line judges). Off the field, a fourth referee also performs certain tasks, in addition to being available to replace the main referee in case of injury.
A football referee must, for example, sanction a penalty kick in favor of a team if an outfield player from the opposing team intentionally touches the ball with his hand in the area he defends.
That referee will not only call fouls or penalties, for example, but will also use the cards to be able to sanction the players. When it is a lack of a certain consistency, he will get the yellow and if the player accumulates two, he will have to take the red directly. This, which can be used when a very serious event occurs, will mean immediate expulsion from the field of play. A situation that will make the soccer team have to continue in the competition with one less player.
It is considered that every person who wants to perform the work of referee must have a series of essential characteristics:
-He must be intelligent, among other things, to be able to make the decisions in the most fair and appropriate way at all times.
-It is essential that you are tolerant, capable of listening to the opinions of both parties.
– No less relevant is that it has to be a person with tempered nerves. This means that you will remain calm at all times, either when you receive criticism or comments from players or when you hear the expletives that rude viewers may throw at you.
-Must be professional. This means that not only must you know the regulation to the millimeter but it is also essential that you know how to apply it. Of course, you should never allow yourself to be influenced by the environment or allow yourself to be carried away by your preferences and sports tastes when it comes to benefiting or harming a team.
