Errare humanum est. Even arbitrators. Human factor is the cause of scandals, insults, and legends. Sometimes a judge's mistake changes the history of sports. How to deal with this? Can errors be excluded? We tell about the nature of errors, their consequences, and how technology changes the rules of the game.

Why Judges Make Mistakes

Physiology: ball speed > 100 km/h, the eye cannot keep up. Angle of vision: the judge may be blocked by players. Fatigue: concentration drops at the end of the match. Psychology: pressure from the stands, the authority of players (Maradona deceived the referee with "the hand of God"). Prejudice (unconscious): sympathy for a certain team. Corruption (deliberate).

Judges are people, not robots.

Famous Referee Mistakes

"The Hand of God" (1986): Maradona scored with his hand, the referee counted it. England was eliminated. 1990: World Cup final, Argentina - Germany, penalty that did not exist. 2002: South Korea - Italy, controversial decisions in favor of the hosts. 2010: England - Germany, Lampard's goal was not counted (the ball crossed the line). 2022: Argentina - Netherlands, controversial cards. Errors happen at every tournament.

Due to errors, teams have lost titles.

How Judges Prepare

Physical preparation: running 10-12 km per match, sprints. Study of rules: seminars, exams. Review of matches: watching mistakes. Psychological training: stress tolerance. Interaction with assistants: quick communication. But even the best make mistakes.

Referee Kim Chon Mi (Korea) said: "Every referee knows that a mistake will cost him his career."

How to Combat Errors

VAR (video assistance) has reduced the number of errors by 40%. Semi-automatic offside (AI) - another 10%. Plans to introduce challenge (teams can request video review 1-2 times per match). Lifetime suspension for corruption. Plus: fewer errors. Minus: referees trust themselves less.

Perfection is unattainable.

Human factor is the essence of sports. As long as people play, errors will be. But technology helps to minimize them. The main thing is that the error is not deliberate.
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