Hello from the Basque Country 👋

[RefSimu]

Hi everyone,

New member here, from the Basque Country in northern Spain. I've been reading the forum for a while, especially the Match Incidents section, and I've learned a lot from the discussions on tricky calls.

A bit about me: I play football and I'm really into the Laws of the Game. I'm building a small project to help people practise referee decisions, so I spend a lot of time going through Law 11 and Law 12 scenarios and the 2026/27 changes (the 5-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks look interesting!).

Happy to learn from all of you, and I'll try to contribute where I can. Out of curiosity: what situation do you think most new referees get wrong in their first season?

Cheers,
Norman

 

[bester]

Welcome

A Basque man called Norman...

 

[Archer]

Out of curiosity: what situation do you think most new referees get wrong in their first season?

Admin

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

Out of curiosity: what situation do you think most new referees get wrong in their first season?

In England, two things: (1) They don't know the Laws of the Game as well as they should; (2) Whistle not loud/strong enough

 

[one]

(3) selling decisions
(4) overthinking it
(5) effort (on both ends of the scale)

(Ordered list)

 

[RefSimu]

In England, two things: (1) They don't know the Laws of the Game as well as they should; (2) Whistle not loud/strong enough

Thanks both for the welcome!


@ChasObserverRefDeveloper that's really interesting, and quite similar to what I hear here in Spain. Knowing the Laws in the book is one thing, but applying them in a second during a match is another.


Do you think new referees learn more from practising real match situations, or from studying the Laws book itself?

 

[ChasObserverRefDeveloper]

Thanks both for the welcome!


@ChasObserverRefDeveloper that's really interesting, and quite similar to what I hear here in Spain. Knowing the Laws in the book is one thing, but applying them in a second during a match is another.


Do you think new referees learn more from practising real match situations, or from studying the Laws book itself?

The new referees in England take a simple online test (wrong answers return them to the question) then attend a two-day training event with a mix of advice, checks on understanding the laws, some practical training, and guidance about what to do next. They are encouraged to continue to read and learn the laws after completing the course, but some (quite a lot, mainly teenagers) fail to do so.
That leads to on-field mistakes, which in turn results in dissent and unrest among coaches and spectators.