Bundesliga referee: The referees deserve that much

You have to make decisions within a fraction of a second that decide on victory or defeat – observed by tens of thousands in the stadium and millions on the screens. They often become the goal of at least verbal hostility. Football referees not only have to bring a rule knowledge, but also mental strength, communication skills and fitness.

Basically, the referee is its own sport – but although this area in football has been very professional in football in recent years, referee is not a main job. Even the top referees in Germany have learned other professions and sometimes still pursue them today. In reality, referees at the Bundesliga level are only possible for a few days a week on a conventional job. The referee is therefore a demanding, but quite lucrative part -time job.

The income of the referees is made up of a basic content and premiums. Referee with less than five years of Bundesliga experience receives 68,000 euros in annual salary, with more than five years of experience there is 78,000 euros. FIFA referee, i.e. those who also lead international games, are paid at up to 88,000 euros per year.

There are also premiums for every whistled game. In a Bundesliga game, it is 6000 euros, in addition, money can be earned as fourth official (1500 euros per assignment in the Bundesliga) and as a video assistant in the Cologne cellar (2300 euros) or as his assistant (1150 euros).

In the 2nd league, the main referee still receives 3000 euros per assignment. The VAR receives 1150 euros, the VAR assistant 575 euros, the fourth official 750 euros.

Such a pretty sum can come together over a year. According to an evaluation of the “kicker” Sascha Stegemann, the top earner last season, who only came to 222,200 with his missions at the national level. This corresponds to a monthly content of around 18,500 euros. A total of 13 referees deserved more than 200,000 euros.

Ten German referees are also on the FIFA list, so they can also lead games at an international level. This results in another additional income: For a game in the group phase of the Champions League, 7,000 euros are paid. In the case of semi -finals or finals, the premiums are again significantly higher.

If you whistle football games in Germany and internationally at the highest level, you can look forward to more than decent earnings. One should keep in mind, however: Referee at this level is professional sport that requires the highest physical and mental skills. Very few make it into the top leagues. The referees have to keep fit, some of their own trainers or physiotherapists engage, preparations for the game as well as arrival and departure to the games take a lot of time.

In addition, the income as a referee is very dependent on the number of missions. The DFB has been offering its referees since 2012 with the basic salary. But in the event of injuries or less missions, a large part of the premiums can quickly be eliminated. At a certain age there is an end to the service on the pipe – at the DFB at the age of 47.

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