Football referee André Resvoll received this comment in the evaluation of his refereeing during a talent referee meeting in 2019. – At first I thought it couldn’t be there. As I realized it was there I was very disappointed… It stung. He towers 162 centimeters above the ground, and in the time since, Resvoll has tried to put the feedback behind him and take the positive comments with him. But it was difficult. – When you feel that you are not getting the support and investment that you would like, and you see fresher judges being admitted before you. You start thinking ‘is it the height?’, is that why I’m not getting the opportunity? He started thinking about this on the way to and from matches and during the match. – Then I felt that it was not right for me or the players to continue. Resvoll has not refereed a match since April. It was Folkebladet that mentioned the case first. Football president Lise Klaveness has apologized to Resvoll. She is aware that this should not have happened. Photo: VEGARD WIVESTAD GRØTT / BILDBYRÅN NORWAY – Not the way we should communicate Now Football President Lise Klaveness has apologized to Resvoll. – On behalf of the Norwegian Football Association and Norwegian football, I would like to offer our unreserved apology to referee Andre Resvoll. This is not how we should communicate to our talents and performers. We understand that this has been a burden for Resvoll, we are sorry for this. Resvoll thinks it is wonderful that he has received an apology from the top. – Then you get confirmation that what is written is not true. That the NFF is not responsible for the feedback I have received from them. The bad things you’ve been thinking about, you can put them away now, he says. The Norwegian Football Association will now follow up the case further, among other things to prevent something similar from happening again. The former judge sees this as a victory. – Hopefully this is the first and last time this happens, says Resvoll. For now, André Resvoll has not decided whether he will return to the football pitch with the referee’s whistle in hand. Photo: Trond Reidar Teigen / NTB scanpix Back on the football pitch? After he told about the feedback he received in 2019, Resvoll has received a lot of support from the football community. – People want me to come back and judge because they think I’m a good judge. I am very overwhelmed by all the good feedback and the nice support. Nevertheless, he is still unsure whether he will find the referee’s whistle again. – I cannot say that I will return, but I cannot rule out that I will return either. I miss the refereeing environment, matches and the whole football environment, but it’s still too new for me to say one thing or the other.
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Thought André Resvoll was too short to judge – now the NFF has apologized – news Troms and Finnmark
