Premier League referees have regularly been in the headlines in recent times after a string of controversial VAR decisions. In light of this, we’re taking a look at how much a Premier League referee gets paid in comparison to referees in other top European leagues.
Premier League referee chief Howard Webb has been forced to issue an apologu due to incorrect VAR decisions on several occasions this season.
In recent memory, both Arsenal and Brighton have been affected by the errors.
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at home against Brentford in February, but not without controversy. Ivan Toney’s equaliser for the Bees shouldn’t have stood due to an offside in the buildup.
"It's an awful error."@alanshearer has criticised VAR for missing TWO offside Brentford players in the build up to Ivan Toney's equaliser against Arsenal 🗣
Watch live: https://t.co/krjQLwUPCR#MOTD #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/ebiq1E90sA
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) February 11, 2023
Lee Mason was the VAR that day, and just a week after his error he departed the PGMOL by mutual consent.
In light of some of the recent VAR blunders, we’re taking a look at how much Premier League referee gets paid, and how it compares to other top European leagues and the Champions League.
How Much Does A Premier League Referee Get Paid?
According to Goal, a Premier League referee gets paid a yearly retainer, as well as a fee for every match.
The yearly retainer can be anything from £38,500 to £42,000 and is based on the referee’s experience.
Premier League referees are then given a further £1,150 for each match they officiate.
This means that a Premier League referee can earn upwards of £70,000 in a year.
Interestingly, Championship referees are paid the same yearly retainer wage, but receive just £600 per match.
How Much Are Referees Paid In Other Leagues?
Differently to English football, most European leagues opt to pay their match officials on a game by game basis, rather than with a yearly wage.
Spain pay their referees the most, followed by Germany, Italy, France and Portugal.
- La Liga – £5,200 per match
- Bundesliga – £3,150 per match
- Serie A – £3,000 per match
- Ligue 1 – £2,400 per match
- Primeira Liga – £1,000 per match
La Liga’s match fee could see a Spanish referee earn more than a whopping £140,000 per year.
How Much Are Referees Paid In The Champions League?
Champions League referees are divided into tiers and are paid based on their experience and performances.
The tiers consist of an elite tier, and elite development tier, and then those in the bottom tiers earn around the same pay.
An example of an elite referee is Dutchman Danny Makkelie. Elite refs tend to have five to seven years of experience in their national leagues, and are usually put in charge of the biggest games in the group stages as well as the knock-out rounds.
- Elite – £5,500 per match
- Elite development – £3,800 per match
- Lower tiers – £700 per match
How Much Are Referees Paid In Other Sports?
How much a rugby referee is paid is based on their experience, the level of competition and the governing body. Wayne Barnes, who is an elite referee in the sport, is one of the highest paid referees, according to TotalSportAL.
Cricket umpires’ pay is hard to gather an exact figure for. They do receive a basic match by match salary, according to The Daily Hunt, but the final figure is heavily boosted by a much larger payment from the sponsors at the end of a tournament.
Top level NBA referees must have three to five years of experience at the top level before they can be considered ‘elite’ level referees. As well, these officials have the opportunity to earn an even higher amount if they are selected to officiate play-off matches. They can earn upwards of £400,000 as a yearly salary, as well as a game by game fee, according to 888sport.
The NFL won’t disclose how much money a referee earns, but according to Money.com, all of the officials make an average of around £165,000 a year. The referees’ earnings are likely to be significantly higher than this of course, as the salary for other match officials could bring the average pay down. Those that officiate in the Super Bowl will see their take increase massively. Reports have estimated that a referee can earn a bonus of £25,000 to £41,500 for officiating the Super Bowl.
As we are comparing with Premier League referee salaries, the numbers will be in relation to the match by match earnings of elite level referees in each respective sport.
- Rugby – £1,250 per match
- Cricket – £2,000 per match
- NBA (regular season) – £2,900 per match
- NBA (postseason) – £4,100 per match
- NFL (Super Bowl) – £5,000 per match
Related Football Content
- Football Betting Tips 2023 – Latest Picks & Football Tips
- Football Predictions March 2023
- Football Accumulator Tips 2023 – Latest Acca Betting Tips
- Best Correct Score Tipsters on Telegram & Social Media 2023
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
