Interview with Hungarian handball referees Viktor and Bence

A few weeks ago we got a nice picture from two referees from Hungary. They have been using our headsets for a couple of years now. We wanted to know more about how they found our headset and how it is to be a handball referee. 


- Hi Viktor and Bence. Both of you live in Budapest, right?

Viktor: Yes. Both of us live in Budapest. We where born here, and have also been studying on the same university. That's how we know each other, from the university. 

- And for how long have you been refereeing handball? Why and how did you become a referee from the beginning?

Bence: I think togheter this is our sixth season. But i started i little bit earlier than Viktor and this is my teenth season. From the beginning i did'nt have anyone to go to the course with, so i went there by myself and i found my first referee partner there. It was exiting and a new experience for me. And it was a way to get some extra money during college and when i was a student. And of course it was fun also to be a referee! It grew from there. When you start as a handball referee, at least in Hungary, it's easier to start with a companion or partner. But if you don't have anyone they find someone for you, as in my case.

Viktor: I have been a handball referee since 2015. I always wanted to start refereeing in some way i think. I love to work with people and i like to have control over my life and doings. At the time when we met at the university i was playing handball and Bence where a referee. Bence told me why donät you take the course to become a referee? And i knewed about the course, but did'nt have time back then. But when Bence told me, i gave it a thought and said "why not". 

- At what level are you refereeing at the moment? 

Viktor: We are in the second league. But it's called 1B, and it is like the second division for the first division. We are also refereeing the League Cup and Hungarian Cup. 

- Do you have any goals or looking towards refereeing more and higher up? 

Bence: With us, it is quite interesting. We have been advancing and grown as a referee couple for some years now. At first we have different goals, but we started with the goal of going to IHF, at international level. But we had to realize that this is not just about us. Then we had to set a more realistic goal and we now have a more clearer view on what we want to achive. Right now our goal is to referee first class matches and to be in the first division for a long time. From there it is not impossible to take the next step, to international level. But it's tough because we have a lot of good referees in handball in Hungary. 

- What do you guys think is the most important skill and personality for a handball referee?

Viktor: You can know the rules and you can obey the rules, you can blow your whistle but that is far from everything what it takes to be a referee. You have to get have knowledge, or learn, how to manage people. How to talk someone, how to look at someone... and i think the most important thing is to manage people and from there manage the game. And on top of that you have to have a good signal with your whistle, you have to be in good physical condition, you have to eat and sleep well. 

Bence: Agree with what Viktor said. But an important thing for me is that you have to see details. You have to be aware of many things in your sorrounding during the game and be able to exclude everything outside from the game, and have focus on the game. 

- We are of course interested in the story on how and why you are using a Spintso Headset. 

Viktor: That was my idea! We used a different headset before this, and one day i said that we have to get to another level. If we want to take it seriosly we have to have a serious product and since 2019 we have been using a Spintso headset and it works great. And i did some research and have been looking at Spintso before this also. 

Bence: I think it's important to add that you, as a young referee, you are being told to not using headsets. Whistle a few years and get to know each other first, before you use headsets. We were lucky that we became friends before we started to refereeing and we already had a great connection. So we already understood each other were good. 

- Have you been watching European Championship in Handball anything? 

Bence: Of course. We are watching a lot togheter and also been to a match here in Budapest. The European Championship in Handball is always a little bit tricky because some teams focus more on it some years, and other do not. And special with keyplayers being gone do to Covid also. But we can't watch a handball match, without focusing more on the referees. Of course we talk about situations and talk about that more than the players or the match maybe. We went to one Hungarian game, and if a tricky situation comes up we just look at each other and thinking the same thing without saying that it was correct or not.

Viktor: In handball every single second counts, just watch the Russian team that scored when it was three second left or Sweden that got a goal against Norway just a few seconds left. You can't take anything for granted! But yeah, it's tough watching any game without thinking more on the referee and situations.

- Thank you guys and good luck!