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This article proposes a sociological examination of FIFA referees’ end-of-career. It explains how individuals leave an activity which is based on strong vocational commitment and significant institutional pressure. Based on 85 socio-biographical interviews and the cognitive mapping of referees’ career paths, the process that leads a referee to retire will be discussed. Two kinds of end-of-career will be presented: those which are normal, predictable, and anticipated, and others which are unexpected, unpredictable, and sudden. By combining the objective and subjective dimensions, the aim is to understand how the end-of-career is experienced.

AbstractThis article focuses on the problem of violence occurring in male amateur team sports. On the basis of a series of surveys performed between 2002 and 2010, we propose to contrast indigenous explanatory categories with tools for objective measurement and appreciation. This study is structured by this central question: What status can be attributed to the explanations provided by those who find themselves closest to the phenomenon studied by the sociologist? To answer, our field researchers reviewed the apparent influences of the types of sport practiced, the resources of the clubs, the characteristics of their environment and their athletes. Finally, the article shows that the indigenous categories can contribute to better understanding of the social dimension when they are contrasted with the facts.