Judges in Spain are the best paid and take hundreds of thousands a month. How much do referees in other leagues make?

Being a football referee is a thankless job. Even if you whistle very well, there’s always someone who will take their anger out on you by swearing. But in Spain, at least, referees are duly rewarded.

From 1 August 2020, Spanish referees are treated as professionals. This decision has turned the lives of referees upside down, who can now concentrate on football and no longer have to go to their regular jobs.

This puts referees in the same category as athletes, they are as dedicated to their profession as possible and prepare every week for the weekend’s matches.

Although referees are often criticised in Spain, according to UEFA they are among the best in Europe. There are 10 of them on the international list and some are even called up to other leagues.

The conversion to professionals is also duly rewarded, as Spanish referees receive the highest salaries in Europe. They earn 12,500 euros per month (about 294,000 crowns). This is the amount every La Liga referee receives, plus bonuses for matches.

A referee will earn another 4,200 euros (approx. 98 thousand crowns) for a match blown on the pitch and a VAR referee will earn 2,100 euros (approx. 49 thousand crowns). This information was provided by the daily MARCA.

Each referee will officiate an average of 20 matches per season, and in ten matches he is a VAR referee. To this must be added the matches in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. In the millionaire competition, referees are paid 7,000 euros (about 164,000 crowns) per match.

Mateu Lahoz earned the most money last year. Spain’s most famous referee, who also infamously played at the World Cup in Qatar, earned 335,000 euros (about 7.8 million crowns) for 2022.

Comparison with other leagues

Surprisingly, referees in the Premier League earn less. Referees in the English league earn €8,000 per month (approx. 187 thousand crowns), €2,200 per match (approx. 51 thousand crowns) and €1,000 for VAR (approx. 23 thousand crowns).

On average, they earn 200,000 euros a year, while Spanish referees earn 250,000 euros a year.

Serie A referees earn slightly less. They earn 3,900-6,500 euros per month, 3,400 euros per match and 1,500 euros for VAR. On average, they earn 140,000 euros a year.

In the Bundesliga, referees receive between €2,500-6,000 per month, €3,600 per match and €1,100 for VAR, depending on their name and experience. The average is thus 125,000 euros per year.

In Ligue 1, referees receive 6,000 euros per month, 2,900 euros per match and 900 euros for VAR. In total, they earn an average of 120 thousand euros per year.

In Spain, referees are the best off of all, the worst off is France, where referees receive the least of all the Top 5 leagues.

It is quite surprising that the Premier League, which is currently the biggest financial power, pays its referees less than Spain, where there is currently not so much money.

To compare with another sport, an NFL referee earns an average of 220,000 euros (over 5 million crowns) a year. A referee who also whistles the Super Bowl will earn a bonus of 50,000 euros (about 1 million crowns).

Source: MARCA