Tel Aviv, July 11 -- The job of a football referee is a thankless one. When they make the right decisions, they fly under the radar, but all hell breaks loose when they get something wrong. For more than two decades, Oren Simanian lived in that world. He spent several years officiating football matches in Israel, eventually reaching the country's top domestic league and earning recognition as one of its elite referees.

He spent eight years officiating in Israel's top football divisions and also established himself as a FIFA futsal referee. The experience exposed him to elite athletes, coaches, administrators and the complex ecosystem that powers professional sport.

Today, however, Oren occupies a very different arena. He is no longer in...