Booked

Given the landslide of books about football’s most-loved clubs and players, it was about time for a good book on refereeing. In “ICH PFEIFE! Aus dem Leben eines Amateurschiedsrichters”, Christoph Schröder recounts sitting – and passing – the refereeing test at the age of 14. The freelance author also reveals how he actually ended up there at such a young age – and why he is still refereeing games on amateur level.

Schröder offers detail information on his training regime which ensures he covers up to nine kilometres in 90 minutes – which is a remarkable figure considering refs on professional level covering just one kilometre more on average. He writes about the most challenging but also delighting aspects of his passion, and reveals what strikes him as far as the role of the referee is concerned each time he watches matches from the old days on YouTube.

“ICH PFEIFE!” is packed with truly entertaining lower league anecdotes and hilarious stretches such as Schröder’s tribute to the fried sausage (“the most underrated dish in the world”).

Considering the high possibility that the average crowd at a lower league soccer ground still holds a grudge against you after wrecking all their fun by awarding a penalty to the opposite team, we should all rethink our perception of referees. Paid modestly and confronted with rowdy crowds who expect them to be infallible by nature – and deciding in favour of their team at the same time, of course – refereeing is arguably a pretty tough job.

ICH PFEIFE! Aus dem Leben eines Amateurschiedsrichters
By Christoph Schröder
Published by Tropen (www.tropen.de)