A similar result was recorded in
previous studies involving semi-professional soccer players,
who were found to consume 40% less than the REC2
recommendation [14]. There is widespread evidence to
suggest that an increase in carbohydrate intake can improve
performance in various kinds of sports activity, including
refereeing, which requires intermittent running at
various intensities. Sportspeople who consume a diet rich
in carbohydrates were found to be able to undertake 33%
more high-intensity running during a game, and a diet
with 65% carbohydrates was observed to improve performance
when compared with alternatives in which carbohydrate
consumption amounted to only 30% of the
total diet [21-23]. A super-consumption of carbohydrates