Over the past five years, no football book has left a deeper impression on me than "When Referees Get It Wrong: A Guide to Learning from Mistakes in Football Refereeing" (edited by Shinichiro Obata, KANZEN, 2021).

In the world of football publishing, books tend to sell best when they focus on the memoirs of star players or on tactical analysis. Surprisingly, however, there is also a considerable number of books about refereeing. Internationally, many famous referees have published memoirs over the years, offering insight into their decision-making and reflections on high-profile matches. Such works reflect a genuine curiosity among supporters about the thinking behind refereeing decisions.

Such referee stories usually focus on major tournaments and the defining moments of a referee’s career, often including interactions with players and officials on the biggest stages. As retrospective works written after retirement, they can at times take on a mildly self-congratulatory tone.

In this book, however, takes an entirely different approach. Although Mr. OBATA Shinichiro—a former international referee who retired at the end of 2001 and has since devoted himself to developing younger referees—serves as editor, the book brings together twelve former top-level referees in Japan. Together, they recount 45 occasions on which they made mistakes, referring to specific matches and players with notable candour and without embellishment. The result is truly striking.

For referees, errors or misinterpretation are moments of real anguish. Yet these episodes are presented with a measured lightness: humorous illustrations are used throughout, and each account concludes with a succinct lesson expressed in a 5–7–5 haiku-style rhythm. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, I couldn’t help but smile at times.

One episode described by Mr. Obata concerns a match in 2001 between Shimizu S-Pulse and Consadole Sapporo. In that game, a Shimizu player, Alex (who would later acquire Japanese nationality and be known in Japan as “三都主アレサンドロ（SANTOS Alessandro)”, struck an indirect free-kick that went straight into the goal without anyone else touching it. The goal was mistakenly awarded.

The match took place on 3 May, a national holiday, at Nihondaira Stadium (now IAI Stadium Nihondaira; at the time, it was still in Shimizu City, before the city’s merger into Shizuoka City). The stadium was filled with families, and the match itself was highly competitive. Sapporo opened the scoring, Shimizu responded with four goals in succession, and Sapporo pulled one back to keep up the pressure. The incident occurred in the 72nd minute, when Shimizu were awarded an indirect free-kick just in front of Sapporo’s penalty area. Alex stepped up and, with his favoured left foot, drove the ball towards goal.

At that moment, the stadium announcer’s cry of “Goal!” rang out, and the crowd erupted. Mr. Obata had been holding his arm aloft to indicate the indirect free-kick until the moment the ball was struck. However, in that instant, his mind went blank for a moment. He then pointed towards the centre circle and awarded the goal.

Shimizu’s players gathered around Alex in celebration. The Sapporo players lowered their heads, and there were no appeals from the Sapporo bench. It is possible that the manner of the previous goal—also from a free-kick (direct)—affected their reaction.

The match concluded 5–2 in favour of Shimizu. Only after returning to the dressing room, when a match official compiling the report asked whether the ball had been touched by another player, did Obata finally realise the error.

The lesson appended to this episode reads:
“The thunderous cry of ‘Goal!’ can throw you off balance.”

A further note, presented prominently in highlighted text, observes:
“The jubilant announcement of the stadium announcer can influence not only supporters, but referees as well, and referees must be mindful of its influence.”

It must take a lot of courage for referees to reflect publicly on their own mistakes. Mr. Obata appears to have recognised the limits of teaching solely through instruction on correct practice. By sharing concrete examples of error, he and his colleagues provide lessons that resonate more directly with those in the profession. Though presented in an accessible style, the authors candidly reflect on their experiences in this book, providing lessons that will support the development of younger referees.

For the record, Shimizu’s fifth goal was initially recorded as “indirect free-kick, central zone, No. 8 (Alex), left-footed shot”, but was later amended to note a touch by an opposing defender—thereby validating the goal.

Written by OSUMI Yoshiyuki (Football Journalist)

*This article was originally posted on the Japan Football Association Newsletter, “JFAnews,” February 2026 edition.

Japan Football Association Newsletter “JFAnews”

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