Category Archives: Rules and Referees

Referee Complaints: A Part of the Game, or Pulling the Game Apart?

Is complaining to referees in soccer truly a part of the game? Or is it simply pulling the game apart? Although lacking a soccer background, sports have been a huge part of my life: I play lacrosse and also participated in football and basketball. The soccer culture is unfamiliar to me, and although I have watched… Read More »

Technology in Refereeing – Treat or Threat?

Flash back to the England versus Germany match in the 2010 World Cup Knockout Stage, where Frank Lampard picks up the ball trickled off from Jermaine Defoe, and chips it over Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper of Germany; the ball hits the crossbar, bounces off the line, and Neuer quickly recovers it; Lampard raises his hands… Read More »

Moving Forward

A Chat with Sandra Serafini   Last week, my classmate Lauren Oliveri and I had the opportunity to have lunch with Sandra Serafini. I was honestly a bit intimidated to meet the former FIFA referee and PhD neuroscientist. (Who wouldn’t be? Only a superhuman has those types of qualifications!) However, my fears were instantly quelled… Read More »

One of the strangest endings in sports

As we sit here at the end of another semester at Duke, it’s gotten me thinking about the way we draw things to a close in the sport of soccer. All tie-is-like-kissing-your-sister jokes aside, I’m talking about penalty kicks. Last week as I was sitting in the press box anxiously awaiting the kickoff of the… Read More »

A tale of two refs

The art of refereeing is a thankless one. No one respects the ref. Players surround him (it’s always men in Men’s soccer) after a call they dont like. Managers abuse him. Fans curse him, burn him in effigy, and generally blame him.  Wages are low, benefits are few. And in the view of the majority, their… Read More »