La performance arbitrale : de son étude à son développement

The purpose of this article is to analyze refereeing performance in sports. Two studies were carried out: the first focused on the referee’s effective activity and experience; the second examined the supervisor’s activity, as he assesses the referee’s performance. We show that: (1) The referee’s actual work exceeds the tasks he is usually assigned – that of enforcing the rules; (2) refereeing involves the development of multiple skills so as to show players what is allowed and ensure their compliance; (3) refereeing performance is co-constructed. The study onsupervisors’ assessment activity complements these results, by highlighting the tensions which comprise the construction of refereeing performance: (1) tension between a performance built on the accuracy of the referee’s decisions in relation to separate situations within the game, and consideration of refereeing dynamics throughout the match; (2) tension between a performance given in accordance with objective elements and an assignment of value which depends on a community’s interests; (3) tension between the a priori prescribed criteria and certain elements of contextualized assessment. This research also demonstrates the complexity and the collective and systemic nature of refereeing performance. In so doing, it provides new opportunities for the development of refereeing performance, based on work debates