Being a costly sport, the referees of the game draw a generous salary every year.
Football is one of the most-watched and played sport in the world. For this reason, it earns revenues from numerous sources. From match sponsors to the selling of tickets, it’s hard to tell how much does the football industry makes in a year. Being a costly sport, the professionals associated with elite leagues like Premier League or La Liga are paid exceedingly well. While the stars play the game, it is the referees without whom the game will never progress, and hence, they receive handsome remuneration annually.
What follows in this column is a list of the highest-paid football referees from around the world.
Mark Clattenburg
Mark Clattenburg was a referee in the Premier League who used to make 1,500 euros with a peak base wage of 2,00,000 euros. However, Clattenburg created history in 2017 when he signed an alleged contract with the Saudi Arabia FA at an unbelievable 6,50,000 dollars per season. He did not just turn into the highest-paid referee in football, but also in the world. No other referee from any other sport makes the amount Clattenburg was offered.
Martin Atkinson
The English referee has been a part of the football world since 1995 and is identified as one of the most experienced referees of the game. The match official not merely supervises the games of Premier League but also is requested to handle Europa League and Champions League games. In 2019, Atkinson drew a base pay of 2,00,000 euros. Along with Atkinson, Mike Dean and Michael Oliver made the same paycheck.
Antonio Mateu Lahoz
Lahoz should be the highest-paid referee in the world, for he is a part of the La Liga tournament where the amount for officiating one match is 5,800 euros. However, it is not known how many matches Lahoz officiates in a season. Furthermore, the peak base salary of the La Liga referees is not available at this juncture. Hence, he secures the third position on our list.
Damir Skomina
Damir Skomina is a Slovenian referee who belongs to the UEFA elite category football referee. Being a part of the elite division, Skomina is regularly seen in the Champions League tournament. It is not known how many matches Skomina officiates in a particular season, but the referee receives 10,000 dollars for a single game. In the Champions League final of 2019 between Liverpool and Tottenham, Skomina was the game referee.
