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The problem is now so big that games are being canceled. The associations want to act.
There is a lack of referees everywhere in football, handball and basketball. In the lower leagues in particular, there are not enough people refereeing a game in their free time.
Because of this, games had to be cancelled. The associations make do with measures or think about professionalizing.
The pandemic as a crossroads
The Corona crisis in particular has exacerbated the problem – as in many other professions and industries, many of the Zurich Football Association would have given up during the pandemic, says Andreas Baumann, head of the referee department: “The lack of referees is not only in the Zurich region very acute, but in Switzerland and partly Europe. » The problem has gotten worse lately.
Legend:
The Corona crisis has significantly reduced the number of referees in Swiss football, especially in the lower leagues.
Keystone / Anthony Anex
Initially, he did not think that the pandemic would have such a major impact on the number of referees. But the number has shrunk from around 740 referees in 2019 to around 680 currently.
“Ideally, we would need around 800 – so we’re missing at least 120 referees,” adds Andreas Baumann.
The pressure on referees has increased
Baumann sometimes sees the reason in the lack of respect: spectators who behave incorrectly towards them, players who are dissatisfied. In general, the pressure on the referees is increasing.
In addition, many referees are young and in training and then, over time, prefer to concentrate on their main activity rather than allow themselves to be discredited on the pitch.
Legend:
The referees are under a lot of pressure during a game.
Keystone / Michael Buholzer
However, there is not only a shortage of referees in football – handball is also affected. Bruno Künzle, President of the Zurich Handball Association, is desperately looking for reinforcements: “Unfortunately, it is a general development – in the last 15 years the number has decreased by an estimated quarter”. And the same applies here: not only Zurich is affected – the problem exists throughout Switzerland.
problem should be mitigated
As a result, there are occasional short-term postponements if no suitable person can be found. And in basketball there have already been a number of game cancellations because there were no referees. It’s difficult for youngsters to get used to refereeing, says Wilhelm Pfeifer, Managing Director of the ProBasket basketball association in Northeast Switzerland.
To defuse the problem, take care of the referees and put the issue of respect in the foreground. They also considered hiring professional referees. But that would greatly increase the costs for mass sport. After all, you could ensure the desired number of games.
Measures are also being considered by the associations of other sports. In handball, training has been simplified and made more flexible. In addition, the referee aspirants wear jerseys with the imprint “Respect Beginners”. This is intended to signal to the audience and the teams that there is still a referee in training.