How some refs are less ‘blind’ than we think

FOOTBALL fans have long been known to question the eyesight of the referee.

But the best refs really do seem to have their eye on the ball, a study has found.

Those officiating at the highest level can more accurately determine the severity of fouls and whether they deserve a yellow or red card, research suggests.

Scientists used eye-tracking technology to analyse the way 39 Belgian referees – some elite ones and others from lower leagues – focused on football video clips.

Top referees spent more time concentrating on the contact area between an attacker and defender during play, helping them to correctly decide how serious a foul was.

Asked to state if they thought a foul deserved a disciplinary sanc-

‘Crucial information’

tion, such as a yellow or red card, elite referees made the correct decision with an accuracy of 61 per cent, the research found.

Lower level officials were right just 45 per cent of the time across the 20 video clips all the referees were shown .

Professor Werner Helsen, from the University of Leuven in Belgium, said: ‘Our results show elite referees have visual-search behaviour patterns that make them better at assessing foul play situations in football compared to lower league referees.

‘When watching open play fouls being committed, elite referees spend more time fixating on the body part involved in the foul, suggesting that they are focusing on and interpreting the most crucial information within their visual display.’ The study, published in the journal Cognitive Research, said that rather than being born with an enhanced visual perception, top level football referees cultivate it through experience.