Özet:

Referees, who have become an integral part of the soccer, which has gained significant prominence in the modern world, play a crucial role in making critical decisions and contribute significantly to the maintenance and enhancement of fair play during games. In this context, the aim of the study is to uncover the perceptions of soccer referees towards the concept of fair play and how they interpret this concept. The study involved 21 professional soccer referees actively officiating in various soccer leagues in the province of Ankara during the 2021-2022 season. Phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. In obtaining the data, each referee was asked to complete the sentence "Fair play is like .............../similar; because.......". Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. According to the findings obtained; it was determined that the metaphors created by the professional football referees participating in the research about the concept of "fair play" were gathered under the themes of "being an element of morality", "being an element of justice", "being an element of respect" and "being an element of goodness" respectively. It is thought that establishing the right perception within the football community in particular referees, supporting it with training and practices, will provide an environment to behave in a manner worthy of the spirit of fair play.

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