Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors

Behnam Oboudi; Balint Dolnego; Ekaterina Glebova; Mohammad H. Abdollahi; Gabor Geczi

doi:10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42

VAK Russia 5.8.5 UDC 004.04 CSCSTI 77.31 Russian Classification of Professions by Education 49.04.03 Russian Library and Bibliographic Classification 58 Russian Trade and Bibliographic Classification 5 BISAC COM018000 VAK Russia 5.4.4 VAK Russia 5.3.3 VAK Russia 2.3.1 VAK Russia 1.2.2 VAK Russia 3.1.33 UDC 311 UDC 796.332 UDC 316.6 UDC 616-036.22 CSCSTI 77.05 CSCSTI 04.61 CSCSTI 04.15 CSCSTI 15.41 CSCSTI 27.43 CSCSTI 77.00 Russian Classification of Professions by Education 01.03.05 Russian Classification of Professions by Education 32.00.00 Russian Classification of Professions by Education 39.00.00 Russian Library and Bibliographic Classification 73 Russian Library and Bibliographic Classification 75 Russian Trade and Bibliographic Classification 7 BISAC SPO015000 BISAC SPO041000 BISAC PSY031000 BISAC PSY032000 BISAC MAT029020 BISAC COM077000 BISAC MED028000 BISAC MED084000 BISAC SPO066000

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DECISION-MAKING OF FOOTBALL REFEREES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: PSYCHOLOGICAL, COMMUNICATIVE, AND FUNCTIONAL FACTORS Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors

АА Аа

Published in Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports · Volume 1, Issue 1 · Pages 21–42 · Rubric: SPORTS ANALYTICS

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42 · EDN: GLHRVC

Received: 25.11.2023 Accepted: 14.02.2024 Published: 13.03.2024 Language of publication: RUS

Authors

Behnam Oboudi

ORCID

Balint Dolnego

ORCID

Ekaterina Glebova

ORCID Scopus

Mohammad H. Abdollahi

ORCID

et al.

Gabor Geczi

ORCID

Behnam Oboudi

Academic degree: doctor of philosophical sciences

Kharazmi University Iran · Tehran

ORCID

Balint Dolnego

Hungarian University of Sport Sciences Hungary · Budapest

ORCID

Ekaterina Glebova

University Paris Saclay Researcher · CIAMS · France · Orsay

ORCID Scopus

Mohammad H. Abdollahi

Shiraz University Department of Physical Education & Sport Sciences · Iran · Shiraz

ORCID

Gabor Geczi

Hungarian University of Sport Sciences Hungary · Budapest

ORCID

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to prioritize the effects of COVID-19 and stadiums without spectators on the judgment of football referees, assistant football referees, futsal referees, and beach soccer referees in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect the data. The qualitative section involved interviews with 15 refereeing experts, while the quantitative section involved male and female football referees, futsal referees, and beach soccer referees in Iran (n=339). Following the interviews, a researcherdesigned questionnaire with 14 questions was electronically distributed among the referees. They were asked in general about the impact of the absence of spectators on their performance. To identify the factors and components affecting referees, factor analysis was conducted using SPSS software. Additionally, first- and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (SEM) was performed using LISREL software to validate the components. Finally, the identified factors were ranked using the Friedman test. It was found that stadiums without spectators benefited young and inexperienced referees, as they were able to judge matches more effectively. The closed doors format also resulted in less psychological pressure on referees, players, and coaches, since there were no spectators to protest mistakes or poor performance.

KEYWORDS

behind closed doors, decision-making, COVID-19, referees, spectators

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GOST

Oboudi B., Dolnego B., Glebova E. A., Abdollahi M., Geczi G. Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors // Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports. 2023. no. 1. pp. 21-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42. EDN: GLHRVC. (Date of access 21.09.2026).

MLA

Behnam Oboudi, Dolnego B., Glebova E. A., Abdollahi M., Geczi G.. "Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors." Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports 1.1 (2023): 21-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42. EDN: GLHRVC.

APA

Oboudi B., Dolnego B., Glebova E. A., Abdollahi M., Geczi G. (2023). Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors. Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports, 1(1), 21-42. https://doi.org/10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42 EDN: GLHRVC.

Chicago

Behnam Oboudi, Dolnego B., Glebova E. A., Abdollahi M., Geczi G.. "Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors." Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports 1, no. 1 (2023): 21-42. https://doi.org/10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42. EDN: GLHRVC.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Oboudi B., Dolnego B., Glebova E. A., Abdollahi M., Geczi G. | title = Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors | journal = Russian Journal of Information Technology in Sports | year = 2023 | volume = 1 | issue = 1 | pages = 21-42 | doi = 10.62105/2949-6349-2024-1-1-21-42 }} EDN: GLHRVC

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DECISION-MAKING OF FOOTBALL REFEREES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: PSYCHOLOGICAL, COMMUNICATIVE, AND FUNCTIONAL FACTORS Decision-making of football referees behind closed doors: psychological, communicative, and functional factors

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