Football referees are required to make numerous decisions per match under physiological and emotional strain. Within this context, VAR (video assistant referee) interventions represent a key match event in which referees` critical decisions are challenged and thus their perceived ability to control the match might also be obscured. In this study, we investigated the effects of a VAR intervention on referees` self-rated mental fatigue (MF) and performance. Nine elite referees completed over 2-6 real matches each (total of 44 matches) a single item of MF before the match, at half-time, and immediately after the match. Situational and performance indices were also collected. The referees` level of MF significantly increased from pre-match to half-time to post-match, yet the referees were not completely mentally fatigued at the end of the matches. Post-match MF was higher (a medium effect) for matches with a VAR intervention (n = 9) compared with matches without an intervention (n = 35). Post-match MF correlated negatively with self-rated performance, r(44) = .35, p = .019. These findings are discussed in relation to current theory and research in the area of self-control and MF in sports. We also provide recommendations for referee training and match preparation.
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