Professional Referee (PR) and J.League Referee Mr. IEMOTO Masaaki has retired as a top league referee after the 2021 season. Here we asked Mr. IEMOTO to reflect on his career as a referee and to give a message to the aspiring referees.

○This interview was conducted online on 6 December 2021

――You have retired as a top league referee. Can you reflect on your career?

IEMOTO　This might be an overstatement, but it was 99% struggling and 1% joy. I have always strived to improve myself and tried to build positive relationships with the players, fans, and supporters in order to embody the expression “all's well that ends well.” In that sense, when I look back on the match between Yokohama F. Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale in the final gameweek of the 2021 season, which was the last match of my career, and seeing how the match went and the loving atmosphere that followed, I now feel that “all is well that ends well” is a fitting expression to describe my career. I feel that the one percent of joy was not one in a hundred, but a much more significant one.

――Were you notified in advance of the post-match ceremony?

IEMOTO　The whole thing was a surprise. From the club inviting my family and having the J.League Chairman MURAI Mitsuru watch the match with them, to the messages I received from the fans and supporters. I was later told that the operations staff of the two clubs had held a series of meetings to prepare for the ceremony when the appointments of match officials were announced. I can't thank them enough for highlighting someone who is not supposed to be the centre of attention. It was the biggest surprise of my refereeing career, and I couldn't be happier.

――You must have learnt a lot throughout your career as a referee, but do you share these experiences with other referees?

IEMOTO　When I first started my career as a referee, senior referees often asked me during the post-match review meetings, “How was the temperature and atmosphere of the game?” and “Do you remember the expression on the player's face at that moment?” Making correct decisions are obviously important, but more than that, our ability to see the big picture, feel the game, and the emotions of the players, were something we were also advised on. Nowadays the focus tends to be on whether the decisions are correct or incorrect, and how they are assessed, but I have been trying to show that there are other things that are equally important. I have always responded to the questions from my peers, but more recently I have been receiving a lot of questions from both young and mid-career referees, and that is something that has changed a lot over the years.

――What does being a referee mean to you?

IEMOTO　I used to think of a referee as a “gatekeeper of the rules,” but as I gained more experience and been exposed to various perspectives, I began to think that they are a little different from a gatekeeper, but rather a “creator of excitement and joy.” Excitement and joy are essential elements in sports, and one of the roles of the referee is to create such experience, which is why I consider the referee to be the “creator of excitement and joy.”

――Do you have any advice for those who are aspiring to become referees?

IEMOTO　I don't want them to be overly concerned with the assessment and the superficialities of the Laws of the Game. What is the purpose of the referee and what are the expectations to the referee? What kind of sport is football and the history behind it? If they can answer these questions, they will inevitably see the ideal picture of a referee. I also want them to remember to love and respect to other people. Because so many people are involved in football, there are many things we can learn by carefully monitoring what is important when building relationships in our society. I hope they don’t lose sight of what they value and who they care the most.