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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 the world of football refereeing.

We watch referees every week. But almost none of us understand what the job really demands.
In this meticulously reported book, William Ralston goes deep inside football's most exposed role, speaking to officials from Sunday league pitches to World Cups to show what it takes to officiate at the highest level.
With rare access to UEFA, FIFA, and PGMO, he embeds with referees across Europe’s five major leagues – Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, and the Premier League – following them through training camps, assessment rooms, and matchdays, where a single call can define a career. He also learns to referee himself, experiencing first-hand the speed and scrutiny that come with every call.
Through defining matches and controversial decisions, he examines the influence of VAR, how referees judge fouls, and the excruciatingly fine margins between control and chaos.
An unprecedented look inside refereeing, The Impossible Job will change the way you watch football forever.
  • 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

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

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