William Ralston is a freelance writer living in London. His work has appeared in the Financial Times, GQ, the Guardian, Vanity Fair, and Wired, among other publications. He won the Best Sportswriting award at the 2023 British Journalism Awards.
The Impossible Job: Blowing the Whistle on the Beautiful Game
Channelling all-access sporting documentaries like Drive to Survive or All or Nothing, or the books of Michael Calvin, The Impossible Job provides readers with a window into the heart of football refereeing, and gives a sense of the dedication, perseverance, and psychological strength required to excel at the top level of officiating the beautiful game.
Imagine a world in which every time you go to work you’re sworn at, booed, jeered, even spat on. Where you’re targeted by bottles, coins, lighters, and whatever other objects people can extract from their pockets. Imagine a work environment where tens of thousands of people chant about your supposed shortcomings. “How much are they paying you?” they shout, suggesting you’re corrupt. A cheat. A liar. Where 30 cameras cover your every move and untold masses on the internet suggest you are fortunate to have a job at all. On a bad day, even your family might be threatened.
Imagine, in essence, that you’re a top-level referee.
Both UEFA and the PGMOL – the body that run’s English football’s elite Premier League referees – are notoriously secretive, and have only ever given access to a single journalist: William Ralston.
We know more about officials’ mistakes and controversies than about their skill and humanity. By spending a season among both elite referees – in the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1, Spain’s La Liga and more – as well as with those refereeing down the pyramid, WilliamRalston examines the complex relationships referees have with clubs, players, leagues, and fans; how player management lies at the heart of a good game; and how life in the public eye can effect the personal life of match officials.
Despite all the challenges that they face, and the reality of doing a job that provokes dislike, occasionally loathing, and even death threats – sometimes from many millions globally – referees are, first and foremost, lovers of football themselves. Their commitment to fairness and competition are unwavering. But we never see behind the scenes.
And now we will.