A influência de variáveis contextuais e situacionais na classificação de árbitros de futebol de elite

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the classification of elite soccer referees in Portugal and the contextual and situational variables of the matches refereed during the 2016-2017 sports season. In order to analyze the relationship between the final classification and the level of the competition, characterization of the game, result of the game and total number of cards displayed per game, an ordinal regression with Link Logit function was used. The results revealed that the contextual variables have a significant effect on the final classification, with no significant effects of the situational variables. In general, the model statistically explains the final classification of the elite soccer referees at the end of the sports season (X2LP (5) = 40.299, p<0.001). The probability of obtaining a better final referees’ classification increases 54.2% with the increase in the number of games played in the I League (OR=1.542), and 24.8% with the increase in the number of balanced games (OR=1.248). Decreases 61.2% with the increase in the number of games without TOP 3(OR=0.388). Finally, in relation to the total number of cards displayed in a game, there were no significant effects on the ranking of referees' performance. In summary, the results reinforce the significant influence that contextual factors have on the classification and assessment of a referee at the end of the sports season.