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The Impossible Job
  • Published: 27 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241726716
  • Imprint: Viking Non Fiction
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $49.99
Categories:

The Impossible Job

The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees

Formats & editions
Hardback
27 Sept 2026
EBook
27 Aug 2026
Audiobook
27 Aug 2026
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Based on unprecedented access, the harsh and hilarious life of a football referee – from Sunday leagues to the World Cup

Booed by crowds, sworn at by players, spat on from the stands, threatened, accused, hated—welcome to football refereeing. We see referees every week, yet few understand what they endure on and off the pitch. In this revealing book, journalist William Ralston interviews officials from grassroots leagues to the Premier League, Champions League and World Cups, uncovering the truth of this impossible job. With access to UEFA, FIFA and PGMOL, he explores selection, training and rising pressures. He also immersed himself with referees across Europe’s top five leagues—Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and the Premier League—examining VAR, key decisions and costly mistakes. The Impossible Job offers a powerful new perspective that will change how you watch football.
  • Published: 27 September 2026
  • ISBN: 9780241726716
  • Imprint: Viking Non Fiction
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $49.99
Categories:

About the author

William Ralston

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.
WR

Praise for The Impossible Job

Refereeing is not about being liked, but about being trusted and trust is hard to earn, easy to lose. This book understands that.

Slavko Vincic, 2024 Champions League final referee

Loving football from the perspective of someone who enforces the rules gives you a different way of seeing the game. This book captures the complexity of an often criticised role and the emotional weight referees carry. It shows the human being behind the referee – their emotions, his fears, and joys.

Marco Guida, Champions League and Serie A referee

William Ralston reveals the reality of refereeing. Ritually abused, and remorselessly undermined by the VAR system, they do know what they're doing.

Michael Calvin