Is confirmation bias a factor in poor officiating decisions?

Photo by Shaun Clark/Getty ImagesLife as a referee is notoriously difficult to say the least. At the professional level officials must remain vigilant to avoid developing biases that could potentially cloud their judgement. There’s confirmation bias, which occurs when elite teams with attacking stars (and glowing media coverage) receive a disproportionate share of favorable calls, a practice that is accepted somewhat but problematic nonetheless.

There’s personal bias: Bait the ref one too many times and you may very well miss out on a legitimate call. It’s why you’re taught as a youth to avoid mouthing off to refs, so you don’t get on their bad side. For better or worse Zlatan eschewed that…