I went right down to the basement, dusted off the scales I had prevented for a number of years and appeared on the show: 99.2kg. Over the previous eight years, I had misplaced almost 10kg. I had gone from being a referee who was heavy and untrained to being mild and effectively skilled. It had taken time, stuffed with persistence, powerful selections and priorities. But it surely was additionally the start of a change that step by step meant stress, strain and discomfort across the checks that Uefa's prime administration had launched.
You didn't simply should be a great referee, it was additionally about prioritising eating regimen, wanting like a top-level referee, that the burden and fats percentages have been proper, in any other case you risked being reprimanded, getting fewer matches and ending up within the chilly.
When Uefa changed its refereeing organisation through the summer time of 2010, Pierluigi Collina launched quite a few modifications. Throughout the first 12 months, there was an excessive deal with physique, measurements of weight and physique fats, and necessary imaginative and prescient checks. Imaginative and prescient checks may sound like a given, nevertheless it hadn't been earlier than. On the programs they not solely examined basic items like having the ability to learn small textual content at a sure distance, but additionally extra particular checks tailored for skilled soccer referees.
Some referees have been discovered to be color blind. One other turned out to be blind in a single eye and was pressured to give up. At the very least that's what the rumours mentioned, however nobody knew for positive – as a result of relating to the outcomes of the imaginative and prescient check, nothing was revealed in bigger teams. For me, the imaginative and prescient check was a reassurance. It signalled professionalism, thoroughness and a need to get higher.
When it got here to checks of weight and fats share, nonetheless, I principally felt disgust, anger and humiliation. It wasn't the checks that have been the issue, however the best way they have been performed.
The primary time I used to be pressured to endure the humiliating process was within the autumn of 2010 at our annual course with Uefa. We have been in Ljubljana, Slovenia. On the primary morning, the referees have been divided into three teams of about 15. When my group had entered the big, chilly convention room the place we have been to assemble, the administration urged us to undress to our underwear. We checked out one another, however nobody reacted or dared to say something.
We slowly took off our garments. The night earlier than, we had acquired clear directions to not eat or drink within the morning however to be as empty as we may after we have been to bear the check. It was about weighing as little as potential, and having as low a fats share as potential. And to appear like a referee ought to in accordance with Uefa's mannequin.
There we stood in a protracted row, in simply our underwear. We have been Europe's greatest referees, elite athletes, position fashions, adults, mother and father, sturdy personalities with nice integrity … however nobody mentioned something. We barely checked out one another, our gazes flickered a bit nervously whereas we have been known as ahead two by two. There Collina noticed us from prime to backside with an ice-cold gaze. Silent and observant. We stepped on to the dimensions one after the other. I sucked in my abdomen, straightened my again and held my breath as if it will make any distinction. One of many instructors loudly introduced: “Eriksson, Sweden, 96.2 kilos.” I felt how Collina paused, checked out me and scanned my almost bare physique. I believed to myself that this isn't worthy. I'm an grownup and compelled to face right here and be examined and judged.
I stepped off the dimensions and it felt like I used to be standing in a fog. The identical teacher got here ahead with a sort of pliers, a polygraph-like instrument that he started to pinch me with on completely different components of the physique. The caliper, because the instrument was known as, was chilly and I flinched just a little each time it touched my physique.
The teacher squeezed, pulled, pressed, measured, measured once more, mumbled one thing inaudible, pressed once more and pinched my pores and skin and physique fats. After every measurement space, he known as out the variety of millimetres he may measure.
I had no thought what the numbers stood for, if it was good or unhealthy. It took possibly simply over a minute. An assistant entered the numbers right into a doc, and when all 4 values had been established, the doc rapidly calculated my whole fats share. My worth was introduced, for all to listen to: “Eriksson, 18.7%.”
Why didn't I, or anybody else, say something? Why didn't we arise and say what everybody thought: that it was degrading. If I had raised my voice I might have concurrently signed my profession's dying sentence. If I had questioned or challenged the strategies that Collina had launched then I wouldn't have gotten any matches, I'm satisfied of that.
In fact, I additionally wished to turn into fitter, weigh much less and attain my purpose, to turn into a world-class referee. It was apparent you shouldn't be chubby, equally apparent you ought to be match – and positive, possibly your complete referee corps wanted a professionalisation. But it surely was unsuitable to attempt to get there by a humiliating weigh-in and an agenda the place crucial factor was to drop some weight and minimise your fats share.
Our two annual programs with Uefa thereafter adopted the identical sample. Weigh-in, measurement of fats share, working checks, rule checks, critiques of interpretations, group work after which on the finish all the things can be summarised. On a doc, all of us received information about our bodily profile – arrows pointing if we have been stepping into the precise course (down) or unsuitable course (up).
Fats percentages have been categorised into 5 teams. An permitted outcome was when you belonged to wonderful or superb. After that, there was a crimson line that instructed that the teams under weren't acceptable. In Slovenia it was communicated that over 70% of all referees had clearly failed and had to enhance. Within the autumn of 2010 I used to be within the poor class.
At Uefa's referee course the next 12 months, Collina took the ground to speak about eating regimen, the significance of preparation and unhealthy examples of referees who didn't put together professionally. Collina mounted his gaze on us, and everybody appeared down. Like scared schoolboys in entrance of an indignant and strict principal who had simply caught the scholars doing one thing silly.
After that day, my colleagues and I secretly laughed at Collina's story in regards to the oyster- and carbonara-eating referee. How loopy it was that our highest chief had individuals who checked what we put in our mouths.
Similtaneously it grew to become a standing joke about what one may eat, there was a barely uneasy feeling of being monitored. And wherever we went in Europe, we thought of what we should always order. It undoubtedly wasn't oysters and undoubtedly no pasta carbonara. Sweets disappeared from the programs. No desserts have been served – simply fruit. And if at any time, typically by mistake, there was any cake or candy left, hardly any referee dared to method it.
Alcohol throughout programs and tournaments was phased out. Between sure colleagues, a weight hysteria was created. There have been competitions about who had the bottom fats share and who had misplaced most weight because the final measurement. In fact, it was neither useful nor wholesome. In reference to our programs, optimistic examples have been highlighted of referees who had misplaced weight and decreased their fats share – as an alternative of being praised for his or her selections on the pitch or performances in troublesome matches.
Jonas Eriksson was a Fifa referee from 2002 to 2018 and officiated on the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Europa League ultimate between Liverpool and Sevilla. That is an edited extract from the ebook Home of Playing cards. To order a replica of the ebook click here.
