Abstract
The aim of the present research was to study planning a comprehensive model for evaluating the performance quality of Iran's Soccer Premier League referees, using entropy fuzzy approach. Regarding the data collection method, the research method was descriptive survey, and practical purpose. The statistical society consisted of the Premier League referees, supervisors, and Soccer Federation representatives. The research was mixed and consisted of two stages: the first stage was qualitative, in which a questionnaire was regulated, using the opinions of ten supervisors and federation representatives as the experts; in the second stage, the required data was collected through the questionnaire made by the researcher. The questionnaire's justifiability was confirmed in terms of content, by the experts, and its stability was calculated and confirmed as 0.84, using Cronbach Alpha Factor. The sampling method was random, and the sample size was total-count, and consisted of 107 Soccer Premier League referees. SPSS and LISREL software were used for data analysis, theory examination, and also structural calculations. The research findings showed task fulfillment, true interpretation and application of rules, physical gameness, individual traits, and game control, have positive significant relationship with referees' performance.
Key Words: Performance Evaluation, Quality, Soccer Referee, Entropy Fuzzy
1.Introduction
Performance evaluation is one of the most important rings of the chain of management in organizations, and its importance is such that the experts of the science of management believe we cannot manage what we cannot evaluate. Today, performance evaluation views the topic of organization performance with a more comprehensive perspective, as it has given place to the concept of performance management. Performance management is an efficient and integral process which guarantees the steady success of organizations by improving the performance of the people who work in organizations, and by paying more attention to developing individual and group capabilities. One of the most fundamental success factors in realizing prospects, goals, and techniques is taking performance evaluation, and in its more comprehensive concept, performance management, into consideration (Armstrong, 2006). Soccer is undoubtedly the world's most popular sport of its type; the most comprehensive collection of rules and regulations belongs to soccer, and this sport has been the subject of discussion, study, evaluation, and scientific analysis, more than other sports (Reylie and Teammates, 2005). Soccer referee is one of the most controversial and tumult controversies of the world's and Iran's sport circles, facing several obstacles and problems. Some soccer referees have been scandalized with bribery and favoritism towards a specific team, and referees in a country like Germany, are busted on the accusation of betting and changing the results of Bondesliga Championship. All the mentioned points indicate the attention of people and media to soccer referee (Abdi, 2010). Today, soccer is not only a sport, but a social, cultural, economical, and political phenomenon, which is linked with scientific principles and researches (Elahi, 2005). Evaluation of studies shows that referees play a determinant role in the economy of cocker; in professional levels especially, the consequences of referees' judgment have deep effects on the game's result; therefore, studying the performance of referees is of high importance, considering the fact that
Planning a Comprehensive Model for the Evaluation of the
Performance Quality of Iran's Soccer Premier League Referees
Using Entropy Fuzzy Approach
soccer referees are an essential part of a soccer game (Johnston, 1994). Zakrajsck-Dorothy & Mack lean-Joanne believe performance evaluation is bound with organizational behaviors, and is therefore an essential process for all jobs, regardless of their level and complexities. Performance evaluation deals with the evaluation of the human factor in organizational influences, and is defined as a process for formal evaluation of performance, and includes a feedback, based on which performance adjustments could be done. To this aim, the present research deals with planning a comprehensive model for evaluating the performance of the referees in Iran Soccer Premier League, with entropy fuzzy approach. Unfortunately, there is little scientific support for helping the performance and progress of referees. Although tentative research in sports referee is on progress (Meskranhas and Mortimer, 2005), there is still data shortage about different demands of soccer referee. According to FIFA statistics, the little presence of Iranian referees in international competitions has grown more obvious in recent years. There are also problems and complaints to the referees in Iran's soccer arena. It seems the lack of comprehensive evaluation systems and patterns in the soccer referee arena is an issue less considered. Referee selection based on an evaluation model able to take professional, educational, physical, and individual features into consideration might identify better referees for the referee arena of Iran's soccer; nevertheless, having studied the different aspects, the researcher came to the conclusion that there is no such multi-purpose evaluation model for soccer referees. The results of applied and tentative researches show the evaluation of the country's soccer referees lacks any comprehensive independent systematic model for performance evaluation, and problems like lack of comprehensive and up-to-date criteria and indices, which would consider all aspects of referee are seen. Considering the above points, the present research deals with the issue of what is the suitable pattern for evaluating soccer referees in Iran? What are the up-to-date aspects, factors, and indices of performance evaluation of referees? Today, the role of efficient evaluation and supervision systems in the improvement and progress of organizations is fully recognized. One of the obvious features of pioneer organizations, including both governmental and non-governmental, is the successful usage of performance evaluation in order to achieve true viewpoint and judgment of the efficiency and efficacy of the programs, processes, and people. In order to obtain a desirable pattern for evaluating the performance of referees, studying the common evaluation methods as well as the adopted approaches seems necessary. Since referees have important and critical duties, planning an evaluation model, and defining up-to-date evaluation criteria and indices seems essential; the quality and efficacy of referees' performance is a determinant factor in games' results. The exigency of carrying out the research could be examined in two aspects: first, in terms of sport clubs', committees', and federations' expenditure, and second, its exigency from national viewpoint.
Evaluation models and methods: studying the common evaluation methods as well as the adopted approaches and the assumed goals seems essential to achieve a desirable pattern for evaluating the performance of sport federations. Some of the most common and important patterns and models of implementing the performance evaluation process are presented below:
Fig 1: Logical model for evaluating the organization's performance and program
The model's inputs include the materials the organization or the program uses in its processes to create desirable results for the organization. We can refer to manpower, money, equipments, facilities and installations, people's ideas, and manpower time as the inputs. The processes are used by the organization or its programs, for the alteration, conversion, or adjustment of items, parallel with the production of desirable results. The outputs are
the evident results of basic processes in the organization or its programs. The consequences and the effects belong to the people whom the organization is seeking their profit by implementing programs. The hypotheses and the assumptions include our beliefs about the program, the people, and the atmosphere, which contain our method of thought and attitudes towards the program. The exterior factors are the area wherein the mentioned programs include a collection of exterior factors related with the program's activities.
Fig. 2: Research's conceptual model
Considering the above issues, the present research aims at studying the aspects, factors, and indices of the performance evaluation of soccer referees, and whether or not individual traits, physical gameness, true interpretation and application of rules, fulfilling the duties, and match control are significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
2.Research Approach
The present research was of mixed or complex type, and a questionnaire was designed in the first stage, using the ideas of referee experts, and the required data were collected in the second stage, using the questionnaire made by the researcher and distributed among soccer premier league referees.
The research was practical in terms of target, and surveying in terms of approach. The statistical society in this approach contained the experts of the studied area, including ten of supervisors and representatives of the federation as the experts. The sampling method was random, and the statistical sampling size of the research was 114 people and full scale; since the deficient questionnaires were omitted, 107 questionnaires were finally analyzed.
The questionnaire was presented to, studied, and confirmed by some experts and university lecturers for content justifiability. To define the stability, the Cronbach Alpha Factor test was used, the results of which are shown in table 1. The two methods of descriptive statistics and deduction statistics were used in data analysis. The statistical software used for data analysis was LISREL, SPSS.
Game Control Physical Gameness
Individual Traits
True Interpretation and
Application of Rules
Task Fulfillment
Evaluation Indices
Table 1: Calculation results of Cronbach Alpha Factor
The Cronbach Alpha Factor was calculated as 0.836 in this research; the stability is therefore estimated as very desirable.
3.Research Findings
In table 1, the sampling statistics status is presented in terms of demography variables such as marital status, age, education, and work experience.
Table 2: Status of statistical sampling in terms of demographic variables Demographic Variables Variable Levels Population Percentage
Marital Status Single 14 13.1
Table 2 shows that most of the samples are married (86.9 %), are in the age rang 31-40 (50.5), have educations equal to bachelor's degree (74.8), and most of them do not have supervision experience.
The results of normal data test are shown in table 3. In all cases, a significantly bigger value than 0.05 was resulted, so there is no reason to reject the zero assumption based on normal data.
Table 3: Normal data test
Table 4: Results of t single sample test Research Theses T
Value Average
Significance Value
Individual Traits 34.222 4.040 0.001 Physical Gameness 11.788 3.493 0.021 True Interpretation and
Application of Rules 21.053 3.657 0 Task Fulfillment 22.782 3.904 0.001
Game Control 17.868 3.602 0.003
5.Individual traits are significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
According to the results listed in table 4, a significant 0.001 value is resulted, which is calculated smaller than the error level (0.05), so the zero assumption cases are rejected; therefore, we could say with 95% certainty that individual traits are significant in the performance evaluation of soccer referees.
6.Physical gameness is significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
According to the results listed in table 4, a significant 0.021 value is resulted, which is smaller than the error level (0.05), so the zero assumption cases are rejected; therefore, we could say with 95% certainty that physical gameness is significant in the performance evaluation of soccer referees.
7.True interpretation and application of rules is significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
The results of table 4 show that a significant value P<0.001 is resulted, which is calculated smaller than the error level (0.01), so the zero assumption cases are rejected; therefore, we could say with 95% certainty that true interpretation and application of rulesis significant in the performance evaluation of soccer referees.
8.Fulfilling duties is significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
According to the results listed in table 4, a significant 0.001 value is resulted, which is calculated smaller than the error level (0.05); therefore, we could say with 95% certainty that fulfilling the dutiesis significant in the performance evaluation of soccer referees.
9.Match control is significant in evaluating the performance of soccer referees.
According to the results listed in table 4, a significant 0.003 value is resulted, which is smaller than the error level (0.05); therefore, we could say with 95% certainty that match control is significant in the performance evaluation of soccer referees.
In all the above cases, the zero assumption is rejected, and all the research theses are confirmed.
10.The study of the inter-relationship pattern of variables, using Dematel technique
effects) among the factors. It should be mentioned that the matrix resulting from Dematel technique (inter-relational matrix), describes both the causation relationship among the factors, and the variables' impressionability and efficacy. The steps for Dematel calculations are listed below.
11.First Step- Calculation of direct-relationship matrix (M)
When using the viewpoints of several experts, we use the simple calculation average of the opinions, and form the direct-relationship matrix or M.
Table 5: Direct relation matrix (M) of performance evaluation criteria of soccer premier league referees
Matrix M Physical
12.Second Step- Calculation of normal direct-relationship matrix: N=K*M
First, the sum of all the lines and columns is calculated; the reverse includes the biggest line-column number k. According to table 5, the biggest number is 12.35, and all the values in the table are multiplied by the reverse of this value to normalize the matrix.
0809
Table 6: Normalized matrix (N) of performance evaluation criteria of soccer premier league referees
Matrix N Physical
13.Third Step- Calculation of complete-relationship matrix
To calculate the total-relation matrix, first the identity matrix (I) is formed; then, the identity Matrix is subtracted from the normal matrix, and the resulting matrix is reversed. Finally, the normal matrix is multiplied by the reversed matrix:
Table 7: Total-relation matrix (T) of performance evaluation criteria of soccer premier league referees
14.Fourth Step- description of the net relationship map
To define the net relationship map (NRM), we must calculate the threshold intensity. This way, we can ignore inconsiderable relationships, and draw the considerable relationships net. Only the relationships which are in value bigger than the threshold value in T matrix would be shown in NRM. To calculate the threshold relationships value, it is enough to calculate the T matrix values average. Having defined the threshold intensity, we turn all the T matrix values which are smaller than the threshold, and do not consider the causation relationship. The threshold intensity was resulted 0.77; hence, the significant relationships pattern is as follows:
Table 8: Significant relations pattern of the major criteria of performance evaluation of soccer premier league referees
Fig. 3: Structural calculation model of variables effective on performance evaluation
Fig. 4: A significant value (t-value) in the research's structural model
Based on the structural calculation modeling, and according to the results listed in figures 3 and 4, we can say: the extent of effectiveness of physical gameness on match control is resulted as 0.63, which is larger than 0.6, and therefore, physical gameness has considerable effect on match control. Also, a significant 2.86 value is resulted, which shows the significance and reliability of this relationship. The effectiveness value of physical gameness on duty fulfillment is resulted as 0.42, which is between 0.3 and 0.6, and therefore, physical gameness has reasonable effect on duty fulfillment. Also, a significant 3.58 value is resulted, which shows the significance and reliability of the results. The effectiveness value of physical gameness on the interpretation and application of rules in the field was resulted as 0.34, which is larger than 0.3, and therefore, physical gameness has medium effect on the interpretation and application of game rules. Also, a significant 3.39 value is resulted,
Physical Gameness
Individual Traits
Game Control
Task Fulfillment
Interpretation and Application
2.86
3.62
3.58
3.39
4.85
2.28
2.40
2.58
3.86
Physical Gameness
Individual Traits
Game Control
Task Fulfillment
Interpretation and Application
0.63
0.52
0.42
0.34
0.61
0.37
0.51
which shows the significance of the relationship. The effectiveness value of individual traits on game control is resulted as 0.61, which is larger than 0.6, and therefore, individual traits have considerable effect on game control. Also, a significant 4.85 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship, and the reliability of the results. The effectiveness value of individual traits on duty fulfillment was resulted as 0.37, which is larger than 0.3; therefore, individual traits have medium effectiveness on duty fulfillment. Also, a significant 2.28 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship, and the reliability of the results. The effectiveness value of individual traits on the interpretation and application of the rules in the field is resulted as 0.52, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, individual traits have reasonable effect on the interpretation and application of game rules. Also, a significant 3.62 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship. The effectiveness value of duty fulfillment on game control is resulted as 0.54, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, duty fulfillment is effective on game control. Also, a significant 3.86 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship. The effectiveness value of the interpretation and application of rules on game control is resulted as 0.51, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, just like duty fulfillment, it has reasonable effectiveness on game control. Also, a significant 2.40 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship.
16.The findings out of the structural modeling
Based on the structural calculation modeling, and according to the results, we can say: the extent of effectiveness of physical gameness on game control is resulted as 0.63, which is larger than 0.6; therefore, physical gameness has considerable effect on match control. The effectiveness value of physical gameness on duty fulfillment is resulted as 0.42, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, physical gameness has reasonable effect on duty fulfillment. The effectiveness value of physical gameness on the interpretation and application of rules in the field was resulted as 0.34, which is larger than 0.3; therefore, physical gameness has medium effect on the interpretation and application of game rules. The effectiveness value of individual traits on game control is resulted as 0.61, which is larger than 0.6; therefore, individual traits have considerable effect on game control. The effectiveness value of individual traits on duty fulfillment was resulted as 0.37, which is larger than 0.3; therefore, individual traits have medium effectiveness on duty fulfillment. The effectiveness value of individual traits on the interpretation and application of the rules in the field is resulted as 0.52, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, individual traits have reasonable effect on the interpretation and application of game rules. Also, a significant 3.62 value is resulted, which shows the significance of the relationship. The effectiveness value of duty fulfillment on game control is resulted as 0.54, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, duty fulfillment is effective on game control. The effectiveness value of the interpretation and application of rules on game control is resulted as 0.51, which is between 0.3 and 0.6; therefore, just like duty fulfillment, it has reasonable effectiveness on game control.
17.The results of entropy weights and major dimension priorities
Table 8: Results of entropy weights
Priority Final Weight Aspect
1 0.273019 Task Fulfillment
2 0.236940 Individual Traits
3 0.171008 Physical Gameness
4 0.162408 Game Control
5 0.156625 Interpretation
and Application
18.The comparison between the major dimension priorities of the performance evaluation of referees, using entropy fuzzy technique
Interpretation and Application Task Fulfillment
19.Discussion and Conclusions
The present research was carried out with the aim of planning a comprehensive and practical model for evaluation of the performance quality of soccer referees in Iran, using an entropy fuzzy approach. We all know that professional referee is challenging and exciting, so, the referee must be mentally suitable for this profession. Since it is very likely that the referee's decision be considered unfair by the players, coaches, or even the spectators and all those who watch the game from outside, they are frequently the target of insults and misbehaviors; therefore, patience and forbearance, keen attention, and character stability are among the features which could be important for referees, and fall effective in evaluating their performance. Referees must not base their referee on the others' judgment about them, or fear being considered as strict and formal people; they must have high courage in making the true decision, and have fair referee. Dehghan Ghahfarrokhi (2011) asserted in a study in this regard that the spectator pressure in Turkey does not cause any disorder. One of the tests given for referee is their physical gameness; nevertheless, referees must have close presence and sufficient mobility in all the game situations, in order to have fair referee; they must have high running ability, and suitable translocation in the game; getting physically tired after a while, and not being able to be present in scenes in time, affects the quality of his referee, and hence causes their inefficient performance. Jones and teammates (2012) have previously recognized the accuracy of referee performance varying with the extent of physical gameness. In this regard, Yukuhiro and teammates (2011) studied different aspects of physical health in the performance of referees during the game, and the findings were in line with the findings of the present research. They have known the true interpretation and application of rules by referees related with evaluating their performance. That today there is emphasis on knowledge, indicates the importance of learning and application of knowledge in this field. Referee is an important activity; if there is no rule for it, distinguishing the true decision from the false one would be difficult; so, there are rules codified and enforced to prevent favoritism. To fulfill justice, Referees must be familiar with different fouls and techniques, and when to decide, and cleverly stop the players who want to evade soccer rules, and confront them. Referees must know when to whistle, and when to direct to continue the game. In this regard, Nathan Jones and teammates (2012) have previously referred to the relationship between the realization of the game procedure by referees, and doing actions proportionate with true referee performance. There are tasks assigned for referees in performing the games, the true fulfillment of which is affective on their performance. Referees must interfere in skirmishes, and establish discipline in the game by inviting the players to peace; moreover, the start and finish times, calculating the wasted time, interfering in time of players' injury, and correlation with assistant referees, are among the referee tasks. Sometimes with the quick shift in the game's field, referees might not be able to attend the ball's spot in time; here, they can get help from the assistant referees. True fulfillment of each of the referee tasks causes the satisfaction of both teams; there is no anarchy in the game; justice is established; the teams increase trust towards the referee. When there are tasks assigned in an activity, some indices are usually assigned to assess those tasks, enabling us to evaluate the performance; the referee activity is no exception, and the optimality of task fulfillment is judged based on its accuracy. Referees must be able to control the game, both in terms of timing, and lawful confrontations with players and coaches. If the game is not sufficiently controlled, and the fouls and complaints are not confronted lawfully, everyone will question the referee; so, we could say that game control is one of the effective factors on the referee's performance. In this regard, Karacuse and teammates (2011) have previously referred to game control as one of the effective factors on referees' performance. Japan's Soccer Society (2002) has mentioned game control as the effective factor on evaluating the referees' performance.
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