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Referee world ranking

Should FIFA have a referee ranking system?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Undecided or neutral

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one

one

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Every well recognised sport has a ranking system for its competing participants. I think having an individual ranking system for referees, at least at FIFA level or pro level will benefit the sport. Even though the same reasons for ranking may not apply. What say you?

To be clear, I am talking about more than belonging to a certain group. I am talking about individual refers having ranking points.
 
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I like the idea, and I think in an ideal world it could be quite interesting - and certainly motivating for officials.

But I just can't see a world in which teams, fans, pundits etc. would be reasonable about it. "This referee is only ranked 7, why don't we get given [No.1]?" Or if the referee makes a mistake it feels like an easy stick to beat him with.

Would also make VAR interventions even more scrutinised - if a lower ranked official corrected a higher ranked one for instance.
 
one said:
Every well recognised sport has a ranking system for its competing participants. I think having an individual ranking system for referees, at least at FIFA level or pro level will benefit the sport. Even though the same reasons for ranking may not apply. What say you?

To be clear, I am talking about more than belonging to a certain group. I am talking about individual refers having ranking points.
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How you would rank the referees is the issue for me. How do they score/lose points? Would you base it off the overall performance marks from game to game? Who does the ranking?

You’d have to have a generic system from the PGMOL to all across the world to ensure fairness. I personally don’t see much benefit from individual rankings.
 
Pwizardo said:
But I just can't see a world in which teams, fans, pundits etc. would be reasonable about it. "This referee is only ranked 7, why don't we get given [No.1]?" Or if the referee makes a mistake it feels like an easy stick to beat him with.
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You see this kind of thing happening if anyone gets promoted into the PL and the general reaction is if PGMOL have just plucked some bloke in his mid-30s off the street, given him a whistle and hoped for the best.
 
one said:
Every well recognised sport has a ranking system for its competing participants. I think having an individual ranking system for referees, at least at FIFA level or pro level will benefit the sport. Even though the same reasons for ranking may not apply. What say you?

To be clear, I am talking about more than belonging to a certain group. I am talking about individual refers having ranking points.
Click to expand...
It's not about the Referees
Our skill and ability levels compared to that of the players is incomparable. Nobody would be remotely interested, nor should they be. If anything, such a system would only be used for ridicule. Anonymity is the ultimate goal of Refereeing (as per The (long forgotten) Philosophy of The Game))
 
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WalterPinkman said:
How you would rank the referees is the issue for me. How do they score/lose points? Would you base it off the overall performance marks from game to game? Who does the ranking?
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You'd give lots of points for getting easy decisions right in games where a lot happens and fewer points in excellently managed games where less happens ....

.... but surely no-one would invent a system like that ?
 
Part of me thinks this would be great, but then the other part thinks it would be only used negatively especially if it was for public viewing. We can already see how some officials react to their merit table for their respective level and how some don't care whereas others will change how they referee in front of observers to climb it. If it were to be introduced it would have to be done perfectly (but as we know nothing ever is)
 
There are already merit tables at most levels of refereeing, these are in effect rankings but they are rightly kept private. Not sure I'd be happy with the result of my annual work appraisal being published on the company intranets why should referees be any different?

Plus you say that every recognised sport has a ranking system for its competing participants, not really sure that is correct. Individual sports like tennis and golf do, but in team sports it is usually the team or the nation that is ranked, not the individual. There's no official top 10 footballers in the World list, so why should there be a top 10 referees in the World list?
 
RustyRef said:
There are already merit tables at most levels of refereeing, these are in effect rankings but they are rightly kept private. Not sure I'd be happy with the result of my annual work appraisal being published on the company intranets why should referees be any different?

Plus you say that every recognised sport has a ranking system for its competing participants, not really sure that is correct. Individual sports like tennis and golf do, but in team sports it is usually the team or the nation that is ranked, not the individual. There's no official top 10 footballers in the World list, so why should there be a top 10 referees in the World list?
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First paragraph, fair enough, though I think that's comparing apples and oranges.

Second paragraph, I thought about if we should rank teams of referees or individual referees. But having individual as well as team raking makes a better system. Like tennis as per your example but their doubles system. Players have their individual doubles ranking but once they go into a tournament as a pair they get seeded as a team mostly based on their individual ranking.

What system to use can be worked out and tweaked to get the best outcome. The benefits I think it brings is healthy competition between peers and transparency when it comes to appointments. I also get that it can be used for negative criticism and ridiculing referees.
 
one said:
First paragraph, fair enough, though I think that's comparing apples and oranges.

Second paragraph, I thought about if we should rank teams of referees or individual referees. But having individual as well as team raking makes a better system. Like tennis as per your example but their doubles system. Players have their individual doubles ranking but once they go into a tournament as a pair they get seeded as a team mostly based on their individual ranking.

What system to use can be worked out and tweaked to get the best outcome. The benefits I think it brings is healthy competition between peers and transparency when it comes to appointments. I also get that it can be used for negative criticism and ridiculing referees.
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Still not sure what the point would be. Tennis is an individual game that is occasionally played as doubles, football is a team game. Footballers themselves aren't ranked, so why should referees, I'm struggling to see any possible benefit.

I just about suppose you could rank the officiating teams, but even that has flaws. The teams change when referees and assistants get injured or naturally change. Plus it would be used as a stick to beat FIFA and UEFA, as an example, Letexier in the Euros came out of left field, I doubt he was viewed by many as even in the top 10, not even the top French referee. He got the appointment on his performances in the tournament, but arguments would be made around why the teams ranked 2 and 3 in Europe weren't being refereed in the final by a referee ranked in the top 3.
 
I believe FIFA and other governing bodies aim to minimise the spotlight on referees.

While a ranking system could be engaging for fans and ourselves, it would inevitably increase scrutiny on individual officials. This could lead to excessive media attention, which doesn't align with the desired low-profile nature of the role.
 
Yes I agree with what a lot of people are saying that it shouldn't happen. If a complete ranking was published purely for FAs to (choose to) distribute to their officials I may be able to understand the point, but spectators, players and coaches (and the media)? No chance.
 
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