The Role of Burnout Factors in Judgment of Football Referees: A Case Study of Iran Football Premier League Referees

As football referees are always under the pressure of excitement and stress of the match authorities, teams, coaches, players and spectators, they highly tend to the phenomena “Burnout”. So the present study aimed to investigating the role of burnout factors in the judgment of football referees in Iran football premier league. This study was descriptive-analytical and at field. The statistical population consisted of 75 football referees who judged in Iran football premier league. Three main questionnaires were used to collect data: demographic, Maslach burnout questionnaire (α=0.91) and burnout factors (α=0.87). The results showed a significant difference between decreased accomplishment and burnout of football referees (t=15.371, p<0.05). There was also a significant difference between referees' depersonalization and their burnout (x2=30.16, p=0.000). Managerial factors with MR=5.35 and economic factors with MR=3.88 were considered as the most important factor of burnout while individual and environmental factors with MR=2.42 and MR=2.92 were considered as the least important factors. Considering referees' job situation and presenting decent planning in order to hire efficient referees, making calmness in their job position were among the main measures that superior managers should exert to prevent the infectious phenomenon of burnout in football referees.