Referee Evaluation Philosophy

Note: The information and page references below are consistent in both the National and Regional Referee Coach Evaluation Handbooks (2025 versions).

How do I determine the correct Game Difficulty for each official?
Game Difficulty is evaluated individually for each match official. Consider factors like the number and complexity of decisions, behavior of participants, field and weather conditions, and overall game tempo. Importantly, poor referee control should not raise difficulty.
See Handbook Pages 18–22

What qualifies as a Critical Match Incident (CMI) or Clear Refereeing Error (CRE)?
CMIs are major, game-impacting decisions such as penalties, send-offs, mistaken identity, or goals.
CREs are routine-level errors like missed cautions or incorrect offside calls.
Only CMIs and routine CREs affect final scores through deductions or additions.
See Handbook Pages 23–29 and 38–41

How do I assess and score General Performance fairly across categories?
Use a single "X" per category (e.g., Match Control, Interaction, Positioning). Then, determine the General Performance (GP) score, placing greater weight on:

• Referees: Match Control (MC) & Interaction with Participants (IP)

• ARs: Offside (OS) & Involvement and Assistance (IA)
  See Handbook Pages 5–17 and 57–59

What is the difference between Involvement and Information in CMI evaluations?

• Involvement: Did the official act on the play?

• Information: Was the information accurate?
  A CMI is marked incorrect if either part is incorrect. For AR offside CMIs, Involvement is marked "N/A."
  See Handbook Pages 30–34

How are final scores calculated, and when are point deductions or additions applied?
Start with a GP score. Adjustments include:

• Deductions: Incorrect CMIs or routine CREs

• Additions: Correct difficult CMIs
  The form automatically calculates the final score based on these.
  See Handbook Pages 46–56

Can multiple CMIs or CREs stack and further lower a score? If so, how?
Yes. Deductions are cumulative. For example:

• Each additional routine CMI = –0.3

• Each routine CRE = –0.1
  See Handbook Pages 54–55

Should all incidents be listed in the evaluation form or only errors?

• List all CMIs (correct and incorrect)

• List only CREs that affect the score

• General Performance issues not tied to a CMI/CRE should be included in the narrative comments.
  See Handbook Pages 63, 67, 70

What counts as a "Correct, Not Given" decision, and how does that affect the score?
This option is only valid for offside CMIs by ARs where the correct outcome occurred without raising the flag.

• Involvement = N/A

• Information = "Correct / Not Given"
  See Handbook Page 30

How do I use video to confirm or challenge a decision made during the game?
Use video only to verify decisions that affect score adjustments.

• If video is inconclusive, support the referee's live decision.

• If video clearly shows an error, adjust accordingly.
  See Handbook Pages 73–74

Which areas should be prioritized in determining the General Performance score?

• Referees: Prioritize Match Control (MC) and Interaction with Participants (IP)

• ARs: Prioritize Offside (OS) and Involvement and Assistance (IA)

• Positioning and Movement only affect scores when they impact decisions.
  See Handbook Page 72