REFEREES are more likely to dish out yellow cards to footie players who are taller than them, experts have found.
And they reckon it is a classic case of “short man syndrome”.
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Players taller than the referee have 9.4 per cent more fouls given against them and are 7.2 per cent more likely to get a card.
Players who are shorter are 12.3 per cent less likely to be done for a foul and 16.5 per cent less likely to get a yellow.
The team at Germany’s University of Hagen analysed 2,340 games in the Bundesliga.
They said: “This bias is consistent with the Napoleon complex, where shorter individuals show compensatory behaviours for lacking social dominance through height.”
French general Napoleon, only 5ft 6in, told a rival: “You may be taller, but I am greater.”
Earlier in the week Premier League referees’ huge pay packets were revealed – and it showed they are among the country’s top earners.
Their salaries appeared to reflect their growing status in the game and the increasing pressure they are under every week as billions watch worldwide.
Figures provided by chief refereeing officer Howard Webb in a meeting of the 72 EFL clubs revealed what kind of money the Prem’s officials are pocketing, as reported by The Times.
They showed that the average salary for a Premier League referee is between £170,000 and £180,000.
While the top referees are earning around £250,000 per year.
Officials are paid their salary at a base rate, which is then boosted by performance bonuses and match fees.
That base rate ranges between £72,000 and £148,000, and varies according to experience and seniority in the role.
Senior officials, such as Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver, are likely to earn around £250,000 a year from their Premier League roles.
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