Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg says officiating would be a "very, very lonely profession" without support from psychologists and the job is much tougher due to social media.
Clattenburg retired from officiating in the English top flight in 2017 after a career that saw him take charge of major finals at domestic, continental and international level.
His achievements included refereeing both Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016, as well as being named the IFFHS World's Best Referee the same year.
In an exclusive interview with Stats Perform however, Clattenburg has reflected on the difficulties faced by match officials, who frequently bear the brunt of abuse.
"The mental side of refereeing is very, very strong," Clattenburg stated. "When I was in the Premier League, we had a lot of support from psychologists.
"Without that support, it's a very, very lonely profession. Driving up and down the country after refereeing big matches in any match, and then you're missing junctions.
"You can't even remember how you drove home because you were still thinking about the match, and you were still playing the match through in your head.
"So, there's a lot of support now for the referees and they need it because it's a very, very tough job, especially now with social media.
"When I started off, there was no such thing as social media. So, it was a lot easier to deal with, but now it's constant. It's everywhere and it's permanently on the internet."
Questions have often been raised over whether officials should conduct post-match media briefings to explain their decisions, and Clattenburg is not opposed to the idea.
"I haven't got a problem [with it]," he added. "I've always said that I don't think if it's used in the correct way, then I think the referee should explain his decisions afterwards.
"I think you'd hope it would give people more understanding why the decision was made. It used to happen many years ago.
"I remember being a young fourth official, and they wouldn't be interviewed afterwards, but they would be given a series of questions, and they had the chance to answer them.
"If it's done in a correct way, I think it would benefit everybody to understand what's going on."
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Pirlo sacked as Sampdoria head coach after dismal Serie B start
Andrea Pirlo has been sacked as Sampdoria's head coach after just over a season at the helm.
Pirlo, who managed Juventus for the 2020-21 campaign, has been relieved of his duties after an underwhelming start to their Serie B season.
After finishing seventh in Italy's second tier last term, the 45-year-old was given the green light to try and return to Serie A at the second time of asking.
However, an opening day draw with Frosinone was followed up with back-to-back defeats to Reggiana and Salernitana, leaving them second-bottom in the division.
During his time in charge, Pirlo won 18 of his 45 matches in charge (D10 L17), averaging 1.42 points per game, a total only bettered by his time with Juventus (2.15).
Sampdoria return to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this weekend in search of their first three points of the season, welcoming Bari to Genoa on Saturday.
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