An arbitrator must resolve conflicts.
An arbitrator is an individual who has the power to make certain decisions by himself without depending on another subject, according to the first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) of the term.
In order to understand the meaning of the concept, we have to previously establish its etymological origin. In this case, it should be said that it derives from the Latin noun arbiter , which can be translated as "judge" .
referee in law
In the field of law , an arbitrator is an authority that, chosen or accepted by the parties to a dispute, is responsible for resolving a conflict . The arbitrator must be impartial and issue his ruling according to legal or equitable criteria.
Typically, the parties decide to submit to an arbitrator to resolve the problem more quickly. If, instead, they resort to a legal process, the litigation is likely to last much longer until a court or judge rules on the matter.
In sports, referees are in charge of applying the regulations.
The concept in sport
In the field of sport , a referee is a person whose task is to apply the regulations while a match or test is taking place, punishing offenders and granting validity to the results. Depending on the discipline, it is possible that there will be more than one referee in each match.
If we focus on football , we will find a main referee who is supported by two assistant referees (also called linesmen ). Off the field, a fourth official also performs certain tasks, in addition to being available to replace the main referee in case of injury.
A soccer referee must sanction, for example, a penalty kick in favor of a team if a field player from the rival team intentionally touches the ball with his hand in the area he is defending.
This referee will not only call fouls or penalties, for example, but will also use the cards to sanction the players . When it comes to a lack of a certain consistency, the yellow card will be shown and if the player accumulates two, the red card will have to be shown directly. This, which can be used when a very serious incident occurs, will result in immediate expulsion from the field of play. A situation that will mean that the footballer's team will have to continue in the competition with one less player.
Characteristics of a referee
It is considered that any person who wants to perform the work of referee must have a series of essential characteristics:
- You must be intelligent, among other things, to be able to make decisions in the fairest and most appropriate way at all times.
- It is essential that you be someone tolerant, capable of listening to the opinions of both parties.
- No less relevant is that it has to be a person with tempered nerves. This means that he will remain calm at all times, whether when he receives criticism or comments from the players or when he hears the expletives that rude spectators may throw at him.
- Must be professional. This means that not only must you know the regulations inside out, but it is also essential that you know how to apply them. Of course, you should never let yourself be influenced by the environment nor let yourself be carried away by your preferences and sporting tastes when it comes to benefiting or harming a team.