– My immediate reaction is that this does not look good, says Culture and Equality Minister Anette Trettebergstuen to news. She has just learned that there are huge differences in how the referees in Norwegian top football are valued. Are you the main referee during an elite league match for men? You will then be rewarded with NOK 17,150. Are you going to be the main judge in the Toppserien for women? Then get less than a third of the amount. Even at the men’s second-highest level, the judges earn better than in the women’s elite division. – The NFF itself must answer why the fees vary so much, but I really wonder what the explanation is, says Trettebergstuen. – I think the NFF has a large part of the responsibility, because the minister is absolutely right that the fees vary. You have to be an assistant referee in more than seven top league matches to be left with the same amount as after a similar assignment in the Eliteserien. For the fourth judges, the difference is “only” five times. REFEREE FEES: This is how referees in Norwegian top football are paid. This summer’s news expert and Vålerenga player Elise Thorsnes has previously come out hard against the referees in the Toppserien. – I think the NFF has a large part of the responsibility, says Thorsnes, who has no doubt that the money is part of the problem: – My message is: Bet more on the referees. It is the same thing that has happened with the Toppserien in recent years: The pay has improved, we get time to train more and work less. I think that’s the way to go with judges. – Different payment, what does it mean for the level? – I think that has a lot to say. You have to have both time and energy to be good at something. Referees, just like us who play out there, need to be arranged good working days, concludes the forward. – Interest is far greater in men’s football news has challenged the Norwegian Football Association (NFF) on the culture minister’s criticism, and Acting General Secretary Kai-Erik Arstad responds on behalf of the association: – In an ideal world, the differences would not be so great. We all know that there are big differences between the funds available to women’s and men’s football. The scope for a men’s club versus a women’s club is very large, purely commercially, says Arstad to news. THE CLUB PAYS: Arstad believes it is important that the clubs pay the referees. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB He says that it is the clubs themselves that pay referee fees, and that women’s clubs or women’s teams have completely different budgets than men’s clubs or men’s teams. Nevertheless, it is not relevant for the NFF to subsidize the clubs in the Toppserien to even out the differences. – When you see that there are such large differences, shouldn’t the NFF be able to step in and smooth things out a bit so that it is not so marked? – Everything is about prioritizing funds. We have a goal that the differences will be smaller by next year. It is an all-time boost on the income side for the clubs. We would like to see the differences become smaller, so we will work for that, says Arstad. – It is fundamentally very important to us that it is the organizer who covers the referee costs, and not the football association. So far, the women’s clubs have not taken part in negotiations on referee fees either – that won’t happen until next year, says Arstad. At the same time, he points out that the commercial agreements on the women’s side have increased in value recently, which could possibly contribute to an equalization.
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Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen reacts to differences in the football association’s referee pay – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
