French elite referees seek pay rise as Ligue 1 salaries trail European rivals | OneFootball

French referees are among the game’s leading officials, yet they are paid less than peers in major leagues, and pay talks are under way.

According to L'Équipe, SAFE is negotiating with the LFP and FFF to renew a three-season protocol on conditions and pay. The referees want a 10% rise over three years to contain inflation. Some clubs urge the FFF to keep its 10 million euros of an annual bill about 24 million in 2024-25 and 2025-26, but the federation does not plan to continue.

Pay accelerated in 2016 with professionalisation, lifting elite referees from 83,000 euros to 128,000 and assistants from 51,000 to 79,000. Since then wages have risen more moderately under a mix of fixed allowances, match fees and a UEFA elite premium.

In Ligue 1, the monthly preparation allowance is 7,598 euros gross. UEFA elite officials Clément Turpin, François Letexier and Benoît Bastien also receive 2,000 euros a month and can target around 220,000 euros a year including European matches.

Per domestic game they earn 3,543 euros plus a daily 200 euros over three days, plus expenses. European matches pay 5,000 euros, rising to 6,000 from Champions League or Europa League quarter-finals.

Even so, pay lags at home. Central referees average 145,000 euros in Ligue 1, compared with Spain 264,000, Germany 194,000, England 180,000 and Italy 160,000. The gap is hard to contest given domestic broadcast turmoil, unlike neighbours whose media revenues remain strong.

Source: L'Équipe