The aim of the study wa s to investigate how referees are portrayed in the media, as participants in refereeing scandals. A study I conducted through examining how hockey referees are portrayed and represented in match texts from both local and national Swedish sports journalism, written in connection to refereeing scandals. I used the method of critical discourse analysis t o examine the question . Through the method I performed an in - depth analysis of how hockey referees are portrayed and represented in eight match texts , written in con nection to different refereeing scandals, from both local and nat ional Swedish sp orts journ alism. The result of the critical discourse analysis showed that the media depicts referees as scapegoats in refereeing scandals. It also showed that referees are portrayed as the ”b ad guys” and abusers of power. Further, my study showed that t hrough melodramatic journalistic descriptions and critical comments from players and coaches, referees are portrayed as unprofessional practicioners in the media match texts written in connection to different refereeing scandals.