Highest paid referees, Italians third in Europe – Football

The Italian referees they have among the best salaries in Europe. Only their Spanish and English colleagues earn more. He makes it known The Athleticwhich carried out an in-depth study on the profession, dealing, in particular, with the salaries and bonuses of match directors and collaborators in the five main European championships.

In Spain the referees with the highest average salary

Those who earn the most, on average, are the Spanish referees who receive a fixed salary of around 145 thousand euros a year with an additional fee per match which varies from 4900 to 2450 euros depending on the role (referee, linesman, fourth official or Var). Furthermore, they have a bonus of over 25 thousand euros per year for the exploitation of image rights linked to the use of Wurth Group advertising on their kits. The former referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez reveals: “We have only been the highest paid in Europe for 6 years. Before we were in 6th or 7th place. It is the fruit of a battle that we started a long time ago. Before, in my time, we had to do another job. Now there is more professionalism and dedication. Now the referees live and think about doing their job well 24 hours a day.”

The highest paid referees in Europe are in England

In England, match directors are paid a little less on average but have higher salaries than everyone else. The salary, in fact, varies from 85 thousand to over 170 thousand euros, depending on the level of experience and rank. The participation fee per match, however, is lower: the referee is entitled to ‘just’ 1300 euros while those at the VAR receive less than 1000 euros. Even the referees of Premier League they receive a bonus, awarded based on the quality of their performances and the number of “key match errors” they manage to resolve.

Among the richest are Taylor and Oliver

The elite group includes 20 referees, including Anthony Taylorthe disputed referee of the last Europa League final between Rome and Seville, and Michael Oliver who also receive extra income for officiating European and international matches. They are employees of PGMOL (the English AIA, ndr), driven by Howard Webb, who refereed a Champions League final and the 2010 World Cup final. The PGMOL was first introduced in 2001 when referees in England became professional. At that time, they received a basic salary of 40 thousand euros plus match allowances. The former referee Keith Hackett he recalls: “There were several kids who used to always eat at fast food and then suddenly started going to starred restaurants.” The turn to professionalism has coincided with a rise in standards: referees now follow strict training programmes, attend two-day group sessions every two weeks, work with athletic trainers and get detailed feedback on their performances in matches.

The dream is to go and referee in Saudi Arabia

The dream for many of them is to follow in the footsteps of Mark Clattenburgnow a referee analyst at Nottingham Forest, who left his role as Premier League whistleblower in 2017 to become the new manager referees in Saudi Arabia: “They offered me 612 thousand euros a year tax-free. It was an unmissable offer. In England I earned 150 thousand euros with bonuses. In practice I received what I had received in 8 seasons of the Premier League.” Confirmation also comes from how much Oliver earned last year for refereeing a championship match between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Al Hilal: 3500 euros.

More interchange between the groups: this is how Rebecca Welch came out

Below the first tier are 22 Select Group 2 (SG2) referees, who mainly deal with Premier and Championship matches, as well as occasional League One and League Two matches. Recently there has been a greater interchange between the two levels which has allowed, among other things, a Rebecca Welch to become the first woman to referee in the Premier League (Fulham-Burnley in December). Below SG2 is the National Group, which deals with League One and League Two: they are referees who are paid a fixed fee per match, as well as receiving travel and mileage expenses.

In Germany the highest fee in the world per match

Even in Germany there is a substantial difference in salaries depending on the level, but the range is much narrower. Referees with less than 5 years of experience receive 61 thousand euros, rising to 71 thousand when they are part of the intermediate group and 81 thousand if they are in the elite group. There are no bonuses, on the other hand, however, they receive more than everyone else per match: refereeing a Bundesliga match is worth 5500 euros while the VARs receive 2000 euros. And even in the Zwite Liga you earn well: 2800 euros per match.

In Serie A salaries of 90 thousand euros (and 4000 per match)

In A league, referees receive a fixed salary of around 90 thousand euros with a fee per match of around 4000 euros. For the Var it goes much less: 1700 euros. Earnings higher than those of France where the referees of Ligue 1 they are paid 78 thousand euros per year with an additional fee per match of around 3300 euros. The compensation for the VARs, however, is around 1000 euros.

MLS competes in Europe: in 6 years the richest referees in the world

Outside of Europe, the earnings of referees stand out Mls statunitense who with the new contract stipulated after the month of strike at the beginning of the season have seen their fixed base significantly increase. First level race directors will gradually see their salary increase over the next 6 years (until 2030) from 152 thousand up to 195 thousand euros. The intermediate bracket, which receives around 115 thousand euros, will rise to 152 thousand. On the other hand, the fee per match will remain low, varying from 1400 euros for the referee to 500 for the VARs.