The acquisition of perceptual-cognitive expertise in officiating in association football – state of the art

Referees in sport are required to have specific perceptual-cognitive skills in order to make correct and consistent decisions. The current article explores those skills and describes the literature regarding perceptual-cognitive skills and decision making of referees in association football. First, we describe the importance of perceptual-cognitive skills in sports including pattern recall and recognition, postural cue usage, and the ability to understand situational probabilities and anticipate future events. Second, we discuss the state of the art on perceptual-cognitive skills in officiating including the concept of accurate versus adequate decision making, talent development in refereeing, training opportunities, embodied officiating, and the use of video technology. Finally, we discuss several directions for future research using representative decision-making task designs, considering contextual and psychological information, implementing training studies, and applying a multifactorial and longitudinal approach.