Psychological and social factors are subjective stress source in football referees

Referees play one of the most important aspects of competition and often, according to athletes and managers, are responsible for their failures and for causing stress. The objective was to analyze the perception of stress in referees of Liga Uberabense of Soccer after a match. Twenty Six football referees of different sports levels, who play in the championships held by the Uberaba Football League, were part of the study. The stress test for referees, TEPA was used. The results show that the main stressor factors were: places with no safety, lack of proper planning of the competition, no payment, unprepared colleagues, delays, irresponsible co-workers, lack of recognition and appreciation, and comments of those who do not know the rules of the game among others. We conclude that the perception of referee's stress investigated comes from mistakes in decision making during the match, social factors related to lack of safety before, during and after the match, and the playing field structure.