Episode 2

Who Died and Made You Ref?

This time, we take on the enemy of the people: referees. Officiating in any sport will cause controversy, but soccer refs seem to have an outsized, arbitrary, and frequently negative impact on the sport, in a way that can feel uniquely frustrating. Is it worse in soccer than in other sports? Is anything being done to make things better? Can anyone really define what a foul is, since most rule books appear to be deliberately vague? These questions and others will be raised, but probably not answered. Sportswriter Pablo Maurer (The Guardian) joins the fray again.