William Ralston

the-impossible-job

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Best-Jane-Austen-quotes_Online-Desktop_Penguin

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

The Impossible Job

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

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

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.

The Cove

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight (Book 21)

Life Inside A Cottage

Material World

The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees

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.

'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 
'This book helps you understand the complexities of an often criticised role.' Marco Guida, Champions League and Serie A 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. 
_______ 
Booed by crowds. 
Sworn at by players. 
Spat on from the stands. 
Threatened. 
Accused. 
Hated. 
 
Welcome to the world of football refereeing. 
 
We see referees every week, but very few of us really know what they go through both on the pitch and after the final whistle. 
 
In this revealing and meticulously reported book, journalist William Ralston interviews referees at all levels of the game, from amateur Sunday leagues right up to the bright lights of the Premier League, Champions League clashes and even World Cups, to get the full, unvarnished truth of this essential but impossible job. 
 
With unrivalled access to UEFA, FIFA and PGMO – the body responsible for Premier League referees – Ralston uncovers the intense selection processes, the brutal physical and psychological training regimes they have to go through, and the pressures that intensify as officials rise through the game. 
 
He immersed himself in the lives of leading referees in Europe’s five major leagues – Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and, of course, the Premier League – on match days and at home, and even trained as a referee himself to experience the pressures first-hand. 
 
Through a vast range of memorable games and era-defining moments, he looks at the increasing influence of VAR, the escalating demands of the game, the way referees judge fouls, the art of getting a game right and the consequences of getting it wrong. 
 
Revealing a side of the game you have never seen before, The Impossible Job is the first book to fully explore the truly unbelievable world of refereeing. You’ll never watch a game the same way again.

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.

The Impossible Job

The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees

Format:

Pre-order:

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

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

About William Ralston

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter