EXCLUSIVE
‘Are you winding me up?’ – Howard Webb reveals how much Premier League referees earn in a year
Jamie O’Hara furiously clashed with Jason Cundy on the amount of money referees take home.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb recently revealed that Premier League match officials earn an average salary of between £170,000 and £180,000, with top refs raking in a quarter-of-a-million.
3
That includes performance-related bonuses and match fees, as well as pension contributions and national insurance contributions.
The base salary of a top-flight referee varies between £72,000 and £148,000, depending on experience and seniority.
In a recent presentation to EFL clubs, Webb made an urgent appeal for increased funding, warning that the referees' organisation could face a crippling loss of £23.1 million over the next five years.
However, ex-Tottenham midfielder O’Hara aired his anger with Webb's plea on the Sports Bar alongside co-host Cundy.
Read more here
“Paying refs more money, you’re going to get better refs… that’s a load of rubbish,” O’Hara said.
“I’m guessing the money will be invested into coaching, training that sort of thing,” Cundy replied, pointing out the increased funding could lead to better refereeing instead of simply increasing the bank balances of match officials.
“It says they’re raking it in. £240,000 a year,” O’Hara said, referencing the highest-paid officials such as Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver, who earn more when UEFA and FIFA duties are taken into consideration.
“That’s not a lot by the way. That’s nothing. I think they’re underpaid,” Cundy replied.
Most read in Football
“Are you winding me up? They run around with a whistle,” O’Hara said in disbelief.
“They’re making big decisions,” Cundy said.
3
“I think it’s too much,” O’Hara shot back.
“What should they get?” Cundy asked.
“£150,000 a year, 120? What’s that, £10,000 a month” O’Hara replied.
Cundy remained unimpressed by O’Hara’s argument, who then shouted: “They’re a referee! What’s going on here?
“We’re paying referees 250 grand a year!? To let VAR do it and still get it wrong.
“240 grand a year to be a referee is a lot of dough, by the way; you can’t sit here and say that’s not a lot of money. It’s 20 grand a month to be a bang-average ref; do me a favour,"
Fonseca pushed away by his own players after furious reaction to being sent off by referee
O’Hara was then asked if he would turn to refereeing for that sort of money.
“Of course, I would; there are a lot of things I’d do for £240k a year,” O’Hara said with a smile, leaving Cundy in stitches.
“Do you know how hard it is for the normal person to go out and earn 240 grand a year?” O’Hara said.
“I’m not saying it isn't,” said Cundy.
“You’ve got a ref who can’t get a decision right earning a quarter of a million pounds a year, and Howard Webb has got the cheek to come out and say they want more money!” O’Hara said, slamming his papers down on the desk.
In the Championship, referees earn roughly £120,000, and assistants about £110,000. Development group officials in Leagues One and Two receive around £30,000.
3
PGMOL's operating costs are said to have risen significantly, from £16m to an expected £33.7m in eight years. With an income of £31.2m, a £2.5m deficit is forecast this year, potentially leading to a £23.1m loss over the next five years without further investment.
Funding comes from the Premier League (£17.4m), FA (£4.2m), EFL (£7m), and Women’s Professional League (£1m).
The PGMOL also faces a potential £600,000 bill from HMRC following a Supreme Court defeat regarding part-time officials.
Read More on talkSPORT
Looking ahead, the PGMOL proposes merging Select Groups One and Two and implementing ‘managed exits’ to foster a high-performance culture and improve sustainability.
A low turnover rate due to a perception of ‘jobs for life’ is also a concern, hindering the progression of new referees.