Each World Cup referee will earn a dizzying $100,000 (£75,000) for the tournament.
Furthermore, if the top judges continue to participate until the second half of the tournament, there is a possibility that they will receive a bonus, and if they advance to the finals, they can earn even more prize money. FIFA wants to bring in the world’s best officials for this summer’s tournament, and their pay is about twice that of the 2014 World Cup.
England’s top referees, Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor, have both been selected by FIFA and will receive big salaries. They will only qualify if one of them is selected for the final, and if England fail to reach the finals on July 19, in which case they could earn a big bonus for the top spot.
Jared Gillett, who plays in the Premier League, is also participating in the World Cup as a VAR specialist official.
Oliver and Taylor have already earned around £250,000 this season as referees for matches in the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
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Last year, the EFL revealed to clubs that the average Premier League referee’s match fee and bonus income is between £170,000 and £180,000. Top aviation personnel are paid a base salary of between £72,000 and £148,000 based on experience and seniority, with increases based on performance and match fees. Even junior referees in the Premier League’s Select One category can earn around £125,000 a year to start.
FIFA has introduced new rules and VAR protocols for World Cup referees, with VAR intervening even before the ball is played to disallow goals for fouls by attackers.
There will be a crackdown on wasting time to remove substitutes from the pitch within 10 seconds, and if a player is sent off for treatment, they must stay off the pitch for one minute.
For the first time, VAR will have the power to change a wrong decision on a corner kick and consider sending off a player for a second yellow card.
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