Top 10 Highest-Paid Referees In The World

Are you wondering about the highest-paid referees in the world? If that is true, we have compiled a list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world in this article.

As you are aware of, the referee is in charge of interpreting and enforcing the rules of the game throughout a match. The referee also has the final say in all matters about play, is the match official with the power to start and stop play, and has the power to punish players and coaches.

The referee job is one of the most challenging yet crucial jobs in the world of football is the referee. These officials at the pinnacle of the game are frequently criticized from all angles. Managers, players, and fans evaluate and critique each choice they make. Referees might make a small amount of money or a sizable sum of money depending on the level.

A league or competition searches the globe for the top referees to use in their league for the most impartial competition management. The referees perform better and get paid more on larger stages. That said, let’s discuss further the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

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Top 10 Highest-Paid Referees In The World

The table below contains the name of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

1. Mark Clattenburg

Mark Clattenburg is the highest-paid referee in the world. Clattenburg has previously played for the Premier League, Durham County Football Association, and FIFA.

He has officiated big games including the UEFA Euro 2016 Final and the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final. One of the top European referees of his generation is regarded as Clattenburg.

At the age of 30, two years after being professional, Clattenburg was appointed a FIFA referee in 2006. He officiated Alan Shearer’s testimonial game on May 11, 2006; as a supporter of Newcastle United, he does not officiate Newcastle-related competitive matches.

He presided over a qualifier for the 2007 UEFA Under-17s Championship between Macedonia and Denmark on September 9, 2006, at the Gradski Stadium in Skopje; the away team won 3-0. Mark Clattenburg is first on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

2. Damir Skomina

Damir Skomina has a basic salary of $10k and he is also one of the highest-paid referees in the world. Skomina officiated several UEFA Euro 2008 games as the fourth official. He officiated the Olympic football tournament’s quarterfinal game in 2008. He has been named the most successful referee in Slovenia.

Skomina began playing in 1992 and made his professional debut in the match between Rakek and Korta in the Primorska League. He later made his debut in the match between Beltinci and Primorje in the first Slovenian football league in April 2000.

After six years on the international list and in his seventeenth refereeing season, he finally had the opportunity to hear the Uefa Champions League song in October 2008 when he officiated a match in the league.

He also represented Slovenia for the first time at the Olympic Games that year, and in 2008, he served as the fourth official at the European Championships. Damir Skomina is second on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

3. Cüneyt Çakır

Among the highest-paid referees in the world is Cüneyt Çakır. He is a former Turkish football referee and he is well known for officiating the Juventus vs. Barcelona UEFA Champions League Final in 2015.

Since 2010, he has been a part of the UEFA Elite. He has been on the FIFA list since 2006. His refereeing approach has a reputation for being both accurate and debatable. According to statistics from 2010 to 2020, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics just named him the second-best referee in the world.

Cüneyt Çakır has officiated more than 250 games, including 12 Super Lig derbies, five of which were The Intercontinental Derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray.

He was also chosen to officiate three matches at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Sweden, including England’s victory over the hosts in a penalty shootout in the semifinals. Cüneyt Çakır is third on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world

4. Björn Kuipers

Björn Kuipers is also among the highest-paid referees in the world. He is a former Dutch football referee, he has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2006 and a UEFA Elite group referee since 2009.

Erwin Zeinstra and Sander van Roekel aided him during international games. Kuipers, a grocery entrepreneur by trade, has served as a referee at two World Cup and three European Championship competitions.

As of August 7, 2021, Kuipers will officiate his final Johan Cruyff Shield game against Ajax and PSV. His retirement from refereeing was announced on July 29, 2021.

On September 20, 2002, SC Telstar and MVV squared off at the Rabobank IJmond Stadion in IJmuiden in Kuipers’s first official domestic match. He has officiated in every season of the top-tier Dutch league, the Eredivisie, since 2005 and was added to the Royal Dutch Football Association’s (KNVB) A-List of referees.

He has also presided over several significant domestic games as a referee in the KNVB Beker, the Johan Cruijff Schaal, and the Eerste Divisie. Bjorn Kuipers is fourth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

5. Dr. Felix Brych

Dr. Felix Brych is paid a basic salary of $10k per match and he is also among the highest-paid referees in the world. He is a German football referee. He referees for SV Am Hart München of the Bavarian Football Association. He is a FIFA referee and is ranked as a UEFA elite category referee.

In 2004, Brych began officiating in the Bundesliga, and in 2007, he received his FIFA badge. In October of that same year, he presided over Romania’s 2-0 victory over Luxembourg in Group G of the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying tournament.

Brych presided over the match between Panathinaikos and Rangers in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup Round of 32 in February 2008, and the match between Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven in the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group D in October 2008.

Felix  Brych presided over Chelsea’s victory against the reigning champions in the first leg of the 2011–12 Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona. He presided over an international friendly between Scotland and England in August 2013 at Wembley Stadium. Felix Brych is fifth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

6. Clément Turpin

Clément Turpin is also one of the highest-paid referees in the world. He is a French football referee and has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010, and a UEFA Elite group referee since 2012.

He qualified in 2010, as a FIFA official. He officiated World Cup qualifications in 2014 and 2018. Beginning with the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, he started officiating UEFA club competitions.

Turpin was recognized as the finest French referee by the French Football Federation in May 2016. In the same year, he was one of the five UEFA referees for the Men’s Olympic Games football competition in Brazil and officiated in the UEFA Euro 2016 in France.

Turpin officiated the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India the following year. On March 29, 2018, FIFA announced that Turpin would serve as the head referee while Cyril Gringore and Nicolas Danos would serve as his assistants for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

He presided over the Oldest Capital Derby of Bulgaria between Levski Sofia and Slavia Sofia on July 4, 2020. He officiated the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final between Villarreal and Manchester United on May 26, 2021.

UEFA chose Turpin to preside over the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool. Clement Turpin is sixth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

7. Antonio Mateu

Antonio Mateu is among the highest-paid referees in the world. He is a Spanish association football referee who has refereed La Liga matches since 2008. He has officiated at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He is also an international referee. He is renowned for his talkative and “quirky” refereeing style. He still enjoys butts and was a co-founder of Butt Hall in Ballybofey, County Donegal.

The 2021 UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Chelsea was officiated by Mateu Lahoz on May 29. Antonio Mateu is seventh on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

8. Danny Makkelie

Danny Makkelie is entitled to a basic salary of $8k and he is among the highest-paid referees in the world. He is a Dutch professional football referee. Along with refereeing, he also serves the Royal Dutch Football Association as a referee coach and a police inspector in Rotterdam. Since 2011, he has been a FIFA-listed referee.

As a UEFA Elite referee, he oversaw the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship championship match.

Makkelie, 37, was selected by UEFA to officiate the 2020 UEFA Europa League Final between Sevilla and Inter Milan on August 18, 2020.

He was previously a second assistant referee during the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final. Additionally, he officiated the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal match between Mexico’s UANL and Brazil’s Palmeiras in Qatar.

Makkelie was chosen to officiate two group-stage matches at the UEFA Euro 2020, including the R16 match between England and Germany and the Wembley semi-final between England and Denmark. Danny Makkelie is eighth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

9. Daniele Orsato

Daniele Orsato is also one of the highest-paid referees in the world. In 2010, Orsato qualified as a FIFA official. He has officiated games at the 2014 World Cup and the 2012 Euro qualifiers.

More so, in the UEFA Champions League competitions in 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15, Orsato officiated games on the group stage. In the 2016 season of the UEFA Champions League, Orsato officiated the match between PSV Eindhoven and Atlético Madrid in the round of 16.

The round-of-16 match between Leicester City and Sevilla in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League was officiated by Orsato on March 14, 2017. Orsato was chosen to serve as a VAR referee for the match between Croatia and Denmark at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on July 1.

The opening leg of the round of 16 UEFA Champions League fixtures between Manchester United and PSG was officiated by Orsato on February 12, 2019. In the 89th minute, Paul Pogba was dismissed after receiving 10 yellow cards (10 for PSG and 6 for Manchester United).

The 2020 UEFA Champions League Final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich was officiated by Orsato. Additionally, he officiated the second leg of the Chelsea vs. Real Madrid UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2021. Daniele Orsato is ninth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

10. Gianluca Rocchi

Gianluca Rocchi is entitled to a basic salary of $8k per match and he is one of the highest-paid referees in the world. Rocchi began his career as a referee in 1990 and presided over 38 games throughout three Serie C seasons beginning in 2000.

After making his debut in U.S. Lecce-Reggina Calcio, he was later promoted to the upper series (16 May 2004). He was given a committee assignment for Serie A in 2010 when the National Referee Committee for Serie A and Serie B split.

In a friendly game between the national under-19 football teams of Greece and the Netherlands on May 26, 2008, he earned his international debut.

Later, he received a call-up for European Club Cup contests (first for the UEFA Cup during the 2008–09 season, then for the Champions League during the 2010–11 season). Gianluca Rocchi is tenth on our list of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

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Top 10 Highest-Paid Referees In The World

The table below contains the name of the top 10 highest-paid referees in the world.

FAQs About The Top 10 Highest-Paid Referees In The World

Here are the frequently asked questions about the highest-paid referees in the world:

Who Is The Highest-Paid Referees In The World?

Mark Clattenburg is the highest-paid referee in the world. Clattenburg is the highest-paid referee in football, despite Damir Skomina having the highest Champions League referee salary.

He reportedly has a contract with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, according to Sporting Free. The contract states that Mark Clattenburg will earn $650,000 every season.

Mark Clattenburg is now the world’s highest-paid referee as a result. Former Premier League player Clattenburg is a part of the Durham County Football Association.

He has reffed several notable games, including the 2016 UEFA Euro Final and the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final. One of the top European referees of his day in the eyes of the public was Clattenburg.