How referees prepare for a World Cup
Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings - Full coverage details

There were eight penalties awarded in a football match.

There were more than 50 free- kicks between the two teams.

The main objective of the game was to deceive the match officials, so there were no heated exchanges as the full-time whistle blew.

The world's best refs and assistants are not just any refs.

The Qatar Sports Club Stadium is the location for a rare insight into the training given to the world's best referees.

England's Michael Oliver, Spain's Antonio Motto Lahoz, and the Netherlands' Danny Makkelie are all participating in today's session.

It's a strenuous workout for the trio and a bunch of other referees when they referee a match between two teams.

The players have been told to foul, dive or pull shirts in order to focus on winning the game.

The spotlight is on the officials to make the right decisions.

Even the best players in the world talk of the added nerves and pressure of competing at a World Cup.

This is the last part of our preparation and we want to repeat what we did before. Makkelie stated that uniformity is important.

The temperature is high and the humidity is high so it's important to get used to it.

There's a lot of pressure. You have to treat it the same even though it isn't a bigger stage. There is a crowd and a stadium. If you think about how important these games are, you build up the pressure.

Six women are among the match officials at the tournament.

Women will referee a senior men's World Cup match for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Against the backdrop of the debate about women's rights in the Middle East, Mukansanga is aware of the role she will play when she takes charge of her nominated game.

She said that people need to understand that there is no sex in football.

The decision is always the right one. It has to be grabbed. Being a woman doesn't mean anything here. The main thing is the performance.

After introducing VAR at Russia last year, there will be more cameras and sensors this year.

An alert will be triggered if an attacker gets the ball in an illegal position if a chip is placed in the ball. Chris Beath, an elite referee from Australia, says the system has been fast and accurate, despite fears that it could slow the game down further.

Beath said that the technology they have is exceptional. There is a fine balance between accuracy and speed.

The main goal is to make the right decision on the field. If we can't, we have the benefit of our offline team and technology to make the right decision.

Sometimes the referee's fitness can be underestimated.

The session is shortened because of the high temperatures just after 11:00. The weather app says it's 33 degrees.

During the next six weeks, Fifa and its officials will be under a lot of scrutiny.

  • Fifa World Cup: Groups & Schedule
  • World Cup TV Coverage guide
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