This Soccer Referee Has A Unique Method To Explain His Calls

He's standing up for his decisions on the pitch.

There's a fine line between a human's honest split-second decision that turns out to be incorrect and straight-up terrible refereeing, but Swedish soccer referee Mohammed Al-Hakim wants to mitigate that.

Al-Hakim, a FIFA-trained 30-year-old referee, has started a Facebook page to discuss his decisions after a match. He works regularly in Allsvenskan, Sweden's top soccer league.

Facebook

I believe in openness and dialogue,” Al-Hakim told Swedish soccer website Fotbollskanalen. “The main idea is that I want to create interest [in our occupation] and I think the football family can gain from getting a better insight and understanding of a referee’s situation."

He added that he hopes the page will encourage more people to pursue refereeing, as well as change the narrative that officials face.

"I want to show my side of officiating and want to balance the picture [there is of us] in the media," he said. "I want to increase the accessibility in the football family.”

A post from Aug. 3 shows Al-Hakim's transparent approach to refereeing in action. In his post-match writeup, he noted that he should've called a foul on a particular play, per a Facebook translation.

"[I will never be flawless], but it is important to minimize errors and ensure that it gets right in the crucial moments," he wrote.

Al-Hakim says the Swedish Football Federation is on board with his social media posts, which he calls "a test."

I have got a lot of positive feedback. Of course there are some negative voices but the majority has been very positive," he said to Fotbollskanalen.

This is a very, very good idea on Al-Hakim's part. How many times have you blamed a referee's decision for the outcome of a game? Whether it's a dubious penalty call or an offside decision that could've used the hindsight of instant replay, human error in soccer refereeing is, as purists will argue, "a part of the game."

That attitude doesn't hold referees accountable though, which is dangerous because international soccer leagues lack a match-to-match accountability system akin to the NBA's Two Minute Report.

The "Al-Hakim Report" has a nice ring to it though.

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