Перевод текста:

The Curse of the Referee





IT'S NOT EASY TO UNDERSTAND why people become referees.

From American football to baseball, from ice hockey to polo, referees have been shouted at, sworn at, spat at, pushed, punched and kicked.
They have had their eyesight questioned, and their dressing rooms damaged.
Certainly, nobody becomes a referee to win a popularity contest.

And yet most of them continue to tolerate the abuse along with their small financial reward, and give up their spare time entirely for the love of the game.
To get to the top as a football referee - and qualify for an allowance of around £300 for each is Premiership match - takes at least 15 years.

It's not an easy job to excel at.
Referees have to take written and oral examinations and they also have to pass stringent eyesight and colour tests.
Their performance and fitness are constantly monitored.
Because it takes so long to rise through the ranks most of the top referees are in their forties, but they will run between 10 km and 15 km in the course of a 90-minute match, much of it backwards.