This week, Anthony Taylor was interviewed by the British media, discussing his decision to retire and the pressure faced by referees.

In your retirement statement, you said that being a referee was a "great honor, but immensely stressful and under intense scrutiny." Is this why you retired?

"It's part of it. If any referee said that the pressure or scrutiny doesn't affect them, they'd be lying, because it's a natural human reaction. One of the challenges for referees at all levels is helping people understand the pressures we face."

"Fear of making mistakes, external judgment, spectators, coaches, parents, media, colleagues – all of these can lead to self-doubt, lack of confidence, and eventually you lose all confidence in your performance on the field."

"Everyone goes through periods in that environment over a long time, which leads to a decline in energy, and that starts to affect your motivation and confidence. You find yourself thinking, 'I have to try again, make sure I don't make mistakes, and I still want to participate in this match or qualify for this tournament.'"

"These are real feelings that everyone experiences, and I am very confident in my ability to handle them. The decision to retire was entirely because my body and mind needed a break from my current work state – and now I'm ready to embark on a new journey."

You officiated three matches at this summer's World Cup. Was that the best time to retire?

"I don't miss the tough pre-season training, and of course, leaving my officiating career behind makes me somewhat sad, because it's been a very important part of my life. I will miss being involved, and I wanted to decide when to retire myself. I don't think there's a better place to retire than at a World Cup."

So, are your family members relieved? Last year, you mentioned that due to the abuse you received, they no longer attended your matches, and after the 2023 Europa League final, they were attacked by Roma fans at Budapest airport.

"Without a doubt, one of the things you consider is the huge sacrifices your family and friends have made over the years to allow you to do what you do, with family life taking a back seat. So, that was certainly a big reason for my decision to step down."

"Combined with the intense scrutiny and high demands faced by top referees, you don't necessarily struggle to cope with these demands, but rather when the pressure reaches a certain level, you feel that both your mind and body need a break from it."

You've always stayed away from social media. Has this had a positive impact?

"Even without social media, football coverage today is 24/7, so you have many channels through which to learn what people think about what happened last weekend. When you travel around the country and meet fans, you don't always get negative feedback. For much of the year, you live in a goldfish bowl."

Referees are always under immense pressure.

"Referees are subject to extraordinary scrutiny, a large part of which comes from media professionals who scrutinize our decisions. Whether that scrutiny is fair or not, it creates a snowball effect."

This scrutiny also comes from former referees. Does that disappoint you?

"Yes, it does personally, because often it lacks balance. This is part of the attention that football brings, and when we conduct so-called objective match analysis – whether by former players or former referees in the studio – there should be balance and fairness."

"If it's all one-sided criticism, it breeds a culture of fear, disrespect, and shame. People are eager to know: 'Was this decision right or wrong?' But the reality of football is that there's significant subjectivity involved. What's considered right or wrong often comes down to personal interpretation, but nowadays, that's increasingly unacceptable."

Does this mean you won't venture into media?

"I would never criticize others, because I understand very well why someone made a certain decision. Of course, wrong decisions can be made. But no one truly wants to understand the reasons behind those decisions. My skills and passion are better suited to sharing the knowledge and experience I've been fortunate enough to accumulate over the years."

Now you are the Head of Elite Referees for the Turkish Football Association, which has recently faced significant challenges. How will you help it move forward?

"Working together with the chairman and president, the main focus is to help referees – especially the younger ones – develop resilience and improve their skills to handle demanding matches, and to raise standards across the board. That's the core objective of my work there."

"In short, this position aims to raise the standard of elite referees in Turkey, help develop talent identification programs, and support their international referees in improving their level and securing better, more prestigious appointments. This excites me very much, and I'm very honored that people value my experience and knowledge so highly, believing I can have such a positive impact."

VAR has again caused controversy at this World Cup. What are your thoughts?

"Any VAR-related technology is beneficial when it comes to improving the overall accuracy of decisions, but we must remember that VAR exists to uphold fairness and justice. It should be used only for clear and obvious major errors, not for microscopic scrutiny."

"That's perhaps what everyone, especially in the upcoming season, is striving to achieve. If we continue to focus on not being overly pedantic, not spending excessive time checking certain situations, and only using truly conclusive evidence of error, then yes, people will start to accept and trust the process more."

Do you think VAR is being used too often?

"I think most people would agree that happens sometimes. We should honestly acknowledge that sometimes the whole process takes too long and our judgment criteria are too strict. We don't need to spend excessive time repeatedly checking footage. Instead, we should make quick decisions based on clear and obvious visual evidence and intervene to correct on-field decisions when necessary."

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