Does the Napoleon complex influence referees as well?
Decisions made by soccer referees should be impartial. But, this doesn't always happen. Recently, a team of researchers led by Hendrik Sonnabend from Fernuni Hagen discovered that the difference in height between referees and players affects the level of disciplinary action taken.
The connection between a referee's height and the players' height determines the punishment severity for yellow cards. This was revealed by Sonnabend's team in a university statement. It's not about the total physique, but about the height disparity between the referee and the players, Sonnabend clarifies. Similar distortion happens when the referees are shorter than the cautioned players. In these cases, penalties for shorter players are more lenient.
The study team analyzed over 2340 Bundesliga games from 2014 to 2021. They found that the probability of harsher penalties is 10% higher when players are significantly taller than referees, compared to equal-height situations. Smaller referees would likely issue more penalties and give out yellow cards. This effect is noticeable in the first half. "Penalties are used to show authority. If they can't show it through physical strength, they use a penalty instead," Sonnabend explains.
This behavior is similar to the Napoleon Complex, a phenomenon where smaller men behave more aggressively or cruelly to make up for their lack of size. However, this idea is based on a myth, as Napoleon was not actually much smaller than others during his time.
The investigators also found that the severe penalties by small referees decrease in the second half. This can be attributed to players noticing that the referee quickly detects offenses, and they cannot easily intimidate him. "If referees are around longer, we could observe fairer behavior, even if the player is taller."
On the other hand, referees smaller than players give out yellow cards 16% less frequently in comparison to equal-height circumstances. "Bigger height gives a certain calmness. It's noticeable that one looks up or down at someone," Sonnabend elaborates. Referees taller than the foul-committing players tend to remain calm throughout the game and give out fewer penalties.
The researchers also noticed that the yellow card severity by taller referees decreases by approximately 15% in the second half of the game. This could be because players have realized that the referee immediately detects offenses and cannot easily intimidate him. "If referees are present longer, we could observe less biased behavior, even if the player is taller."
However, referees shorter than players give out yellow cards 13% more frequently in the second half. This may be due to them feeling the need to assert their authority more strongly to maintain their dominance, according to Sonnabend. "The relationship between height and authority is complex and can be influenced by multiple factors," he concludes.
Awareness of this phenomenon allows counteraction, as every judgment, whether in everyday life or soccer, should be impartial and not accommodated by factors like sympathy or body size. "If such consciousness is cultivated, there are other ways to establish natural authority, for example, through body language or word choice," Sonnabend emphasizes. The research team recommends focusing more on these aspects in the future to combat distortions in evaluations.
On average, male referees are 1.86 meters tall, while male footballers are 1.84 meters tall. "There's already a certain selection in this job market and the initial hint of a large dominance in this field," Sonnabend observes.
