Mike Dean is the highest paid referee in the Premier League and pockets a larger annual salary than Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A study by Sportekz into the salaries of the Premier League officials during the 2020/21 season found that Dean was the highest earner. He and fellow officials Michael Oliver and Martin Atkinson had the highest total salary as well as being eligible for the largest possible match fee. Referees receive an additional £1,500 match per game, while assistant referees and video assistant referees are paid a £850 match fee on top of their basic annual salary of £30,000.
The study found that Dean, who has been officiating in the top flight for over 20 years, has a reported annual salary of £200,000-per-year. This is the highest amount referees are able to earn as their basic salary, available to those selected to officiate Champions League, Europa League and international matches. Dean's salary is almost £50,000 more than that of the Prime Minister. According to the BBC, Johnson is entitled to a salary of £79,936 and is claiming £75,440 of it. That is in addition to his salary of £81,932 as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. That equals a salary of £157,372. Dean comes out on top among last season's Premier League referees following the study, topping the list alongside Oliver and Atkinson. They are ahead of several officials who all earn a basic salary of £70,000-per-year, including Anthony Taylor and Kevin Friend. Meanwhile, the likes of Lee Mason and Craig Pawson are lower down, earning a reported £48,000 annually plus match fees. In total, Dean has taken charge of 550 Premier League matches since his first in September 2000 and has handed out over 2,000 yellow cards as well as 111 red cards. He has also officiated an FA Cup and League Cup final during his career and has also refereed matches in Europe and international football.
Source: Daily Star