Stress Factors in Soccer Referees

Abstract

The soccer referee is severely criticized by the press, fans and players, unlike other sports. With the evolution of soccer, the referee has obtained greater prominence and consequently a greater psychological demand. The objective of this research was to identify the main factors that cause stress in the soccer referees of Rio Grande do Sul. The research was of quantitative, descriptive and transversal design. Fifty field soccer referees from the Rio Grande do Sul Soccer Federation (FGF) were selected for convenience. The inclusion criterion was being over 18 years old. Arbitrators who did not act because they were recently graduated and those who have ceased to act in official matches organized by FGF were excluded. The instrument used was the Psychic Stress Test of Referees of Sports and Collective Games with/without Contact (TEPA), validated by Silva (2004), sent by email and answered on Google Forms. The results showed that the situations “lack of responsibility from colleagues and other people”, “making mistakes in clear situations”, “arriving late”, “not being able to meet a scale” and “making mistakes repeatedly” were considered the most stressful. Analyzing the items by dimension, no statistical differences were found between biological, psychological and social factors, suggesting a balance, and the perception of stress as a simultaneous interaction.