There is a huge financial bonus on offer for the referee who oversees the World Cup final
Michael Oliver will miss out on a staggering financial bonus after being banned from officiating the World Cup final. Oliver, one of two English referees at this summer’s tournament, had been one of the favourites to take charge of the final at MetLife Stadium this Sunday, given his vast experience and solid displays.
But neither Oliver nor his fellow Premier League referee Anthony Taylor will be permitted to oversee the most prestigious fixture in world football. The pair have essentially been blocked from receiving the full pay package available for a FIFA referee at the tournament due to a combination of England reaching the semi-finals and geopolitical factors.
England’s 2-1 win over Norway booked the Three Lions’ place in the last four. But according to FIFA’s rules, a referee cannot officiate their home nation’s match, ruling Oliver out of the semi-final against Argentina and the final, should England progress.
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Referees cannot be assigned to a game that has a direct consequence for their home country in the next round, either, meaning they can’t oversee the other semi-final between France and Spain. And to top it off, English referees are not allowed to officiate Argentina’s games, meaning Oliver is ruled out of the final if either England or Argentina is involved.
With both Oliver and Taylor being English, it is deemed inappropriate for either to referee Argentina or a game that has a direct next-game consequence for Argentina at the World Cup, due to the 1982 Falklands War.
The war remains a sensitive topic, having been referenced by Argentina’s players when they sang a song called ‘Muchachos’ in the dressing room.
Unfortunately for Oliver, through no fault of his own, he will therefore miss out on the maximum salary available for a referee at the World Cup. The Times had reported that referees at this summer’s tournament could earn up to $100,000 (£85,000) and would even be paid sizable bonuses for officiating matches in the latter stages of the competition.
51 referees were left on FIFA’s official list going into the tournament after Somalia’s Omar Artan was refused entry into the United States. Reports claimed a standard basic rate was handed to officials for up to six weeks’ work since they arrived at the tournament base in Miami in June.
The baseline figure is said to be around double what officials received over a decade ago at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Officials then receive an extra sum per game for the knockout rounds.
Oliver has officiated four fixtures across the tournament: Netherlands vs Sweden, Norway vs France, Canada vs Morocco and the quarter-final clash, Spain vs Belgium. During the latter, Oliver suffered an embarrassing moment as he accidentally impeded Dani Olmo during a Spain attack, after which he apologised and stopped the game.
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