Top-ranking top-flight officials like Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor could be taking home north of £180,000 per year
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Top Premier League referees are the highest-paid officials in Europe’s big five leagues, according to newly-released data.
The Athletic were able to get their own well-remunerated mitts on pay details for officials in England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and North America’s Major League Soccer.
The numbers reveal that the Premier League's highest-ranking referees are paid up to £147,258 per annum, plus over a thousand pounds a pop in match fees and yet more in performance-related bonuses.
Top Premier League referees earn highest wages in Europe
Anthony Taylor earns an estimated £180,000 per year before bonuses (Image credit: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/CPS Images/Getty Images)
With the likes of Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver overseeing up to 30 games per season in the competition, their overall pay would come in at around £180,000 per year before bonuses, European competition and international duty.
Some less-experienced Premier League officials might expect to earn less than half that, however, with £73,191 the lowest annual salary the Athletic were able to report. That is apparently in line with the officials who usually take charge in the Championship.
That means that although the creme de la creme of English referees are the top earners in the five leagues surveyed, some are earning less than officials in Spain’s La Liga, who all earn a flat rate of £124,256 per year regardless of seniority.
Officials in EFL Leagues One and Two generally officiate part-time on top of a regular Joe job and get paid a flat fee per game plus travel expenses.
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How much referees are paid, by league
Premier League: £73,191-£147,258 per annum, plus £1,116 match fees and performance bonus
La Liga: £124,256 per annum, plus £4,205 match fees
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
