The Impossible Job
The Unbelievable World of Soccer Referees
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Pub Date Jan 5 2027 | Archive Date Dec 31 2026
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Description
A game-changing exploration of the figure that fans all over the world love to hate: the referee.
Booed by crowds, sworn at by players, spit on by fans . . . welcome to the world of the referee. William Ralston spent a season with referees at every level—from amateur leagues to the Premier League, Champions League, and World Cup—to get the full, unvarnished truth of this essential but impossible job. With unrivalled access, Ralston uncovers the intense selection process and the physically and psychologically brutal training regimes. He immerses himself in the lives of leading referees on match days and at home, and trains as a referee himself to experience the pressures first-hand. Through era-defining games, he looks at the increasing influence of VAR, the way referees judge fouls, the art of getting a game right and the consequences of getting it wrong. And he begins to understand why anyone would choose a job that seems truly insane. The Impossible Job challenges fans to see referees as what they are: dedicated keepers of soccer’s spirit.
About the Author: William Ralston is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the Financial Times, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, and the Guardian. His original piece about soccer referees won a British Journalism Award for “Sports Story of the Year.” This is his first book. He lives in London.
Advance Praise
"A superb insight into football’s most misunderstood subject. We all read the game differently—but do we really know the rules?" -Jamie Carragher
"At last a book on the referees, which does justice to their incredible and irreplaceable contribution to football. In contrast to the dimwitted caricatures that dominate fan cultures, William Ralston’s The Impossible Job—by turns sharp, empathetic, and funny—captures elite referees’ humanity, integrity, and talents. It is hard after reading this book not to see referees, who face impossible and contradictory demands of the game, as the heroes of the spectacle." -David Goldblatt, author of The Ball Is Round and The Age of Football
"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, World Cup 2026 final referee
"A?gripping, immersive, and deeply humane portrait?of a group of people whose work has long been unseen and misunderstood." -Rory Smith, author of Expected Goals
"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, author of The Nowhere Men
"A?brilliantly researched and impeccably written?study of the most misunderstood position in football. Ralston uses his access, contacts, and first-hand experience to cut through decades of rage, prejudice and willful ignorance, and in so doing?achieves the impossible feat: depicting referees as recognizably human." -Jonathan Liew, The Guardian football columnist
"The Impossible Job delves deep into the emotional rollercoaster that is refereeing, revealing the demands and challenges faced by referees at all levels like never before." -Anthony Taylor, Premier League referee
"An important and deeply human portrait of referees?—crucial in a football culture increasingly shaped by suspicion and conspiracy theories." -Carlos Clos Gómez, Spanish La Liga referee
"This book helps you understand the complexities of an often criticized role." -Marco Guida, Serie A referee
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324105664 |
| PRICE | $31.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |