Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Premier League, Football, La Liga, VAR, PGMOL
Alex Brotherton
Premier League referees are officially the highest paid in Europe's top five leagues after their stunning wages were revealed.
There are many things about Football that differ from country to country, but one thing tends to stay the same: people generally don't like referees.
The abuse, scrutiny and pressure that referees experience at all levels of the game makes refereeing a thankless job.
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That said, for those who excel, officiating can be a pretty lucrative career path.
The Premier League has always boasted some of the top referees in world football, and now it turns out they have the best paid.
Data obtained by The Athletic and verified by the leagues concerned shows how much referees earn in Europe's top five divisions and Major League Soccer.
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Premier League referees are paid on a sliding scale between £73,191, £105,257 and £147,258 depending on their level of experience and rank.
Referees also earn a match fee of £1,116 per game, while video assistant referees receive a match fee of £837.
Premier League referees, including the likes of Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver, also receive bonuses based on the quality of their performances and how many 'key match incidents' they get right.
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That means that the highest earning officials work in the Premier League, although on average, referees in Spain earn more.
La Liga referees take home a fixed salary of £124,256 irrespective of experience and receive a match fee of £4,205.
In Spain's top flight, VARs earn match fees of £2,102 per game.
Referees in Spain are also paid an extra £21,929 a year for image rights, due to the Wurth Group advertising on their kits.
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Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body that oversees the development and appointments of officials across the English game, told The Athletic that it could not comment on specific salary figures.