South African referee Victor Gomes earned up to R1.43 million for officiating at the Fifa World Cup but has now gone home, as there are no African referees for the semi-finals or final.
Spanish publication AS reported that referees earn basic fees of $70,000 (R1.25 million) plus an additional amount on a per-game basis depending on the stage of the tournament.
The pay for assistant referees include $25,000 (R450,000) in basic pay and $2,500 (R45,000) for a group stage match, which is what South African Zakhele Siwela would have earned in the region of.
South Africa’s head of referees Abdul Ebrahim has expressed his disappointment at Fifa’s decision to exclude African referees from the final four matches.
“Yes, it is disappointing that Zakhele [Siwela] and Victor [Gomes] have been released early, but the appointment is something that is out of our hands,” he told GOAL.
“We have to ask why African referees are not given the opportunity on the global stage to do those kinds of finals.
“If you saw, there is not even a gap we can talk about. It is a factor that is out of our hands.”
The most prolific match from a South African viewpoint would have been seeing Gomes as the fourth official in the thrilling Netherlands vs Argentina quarter final.
39-year-old Johannesburg born Gomes will be retiring from local football on his return home from Qatar.