ABA League Referees Demand Up to 2,000 Euros per Game
ABA League referees are demanding a major pay raise, seasonal bonuses and retirement payouts ahead of the 2026/27 season, warning that a refusal could threaten the start of the championship.
The new ABA League season starts in a matter of days, clubs are finalizing their rosters and running first plays in training, and a letter has landed on the league office’s desk that could upend all of it. Referees from the regional league have sent management a demand for a major pay raise, new bonuses and formal recognition of their association, right before the season’s first whistle.
This is not the usual behind closed doors conversation. For the first time, the exact figures referees are asking for have been laid out publicly, broken down by stage of competition for the next two seasons, alongside an estimate of what it would cost the league. The officials’ message is blunt: either the two sides sit down at the negotiating table, or a work stoppage becomes a real possibility just as the championship is about to begin.
How Much Referees Are Demanding per Game
In ABA League 1, for the 2026/27 season, referees are asking for 1,200 euros gross per regular season game. For the playoff round involving teams placed first through eighth, the fee rises to 1,400 euros, while games in the group from ninth to twentieth place would be paid at 1,200 euros. The steepest demands are for the playoffs: 1,600 euros for the quarterfinals, 1,800 for the semifinals and as much as 2,000 euros gross for a finals game.
For the following season, 2027/28, every figure climbs further. The regular season would pay 1,500 euros per game, the group from first to eighth place 1,700 euros, the group from ninth to twentieth place 1,500 euros, the quarterfinals 1,900, the semifinals 2,100 and the finals 2,300 euros per game.
A raise is also being sought in ABA League 2. There, a regular season game would next season pay 600 euros, the quarterfinals 800, the semifinals 900 and the finals 1,000 euros, with those figures rising a year later to 750, 950, 1,050 and 1,150 euros.
Bonuses, Retirement Payouts and Insurance
Alongside per game fees, referees are also asking for a seasonal bonus tied to the number of games officiated. A referee who works 15 games in a season, out of a maximum possible 36 rounds, would receive 3,000 euros gross, while one who reaches 30 games officiated would see that bonus rise to 5,000 euros.
There is also a request for what is being called a retirement payout. Referees with ten or more seasons of service in the ABA League would, upon retiring, receive a one time payment equal to their salary from their best season, paid out for two consecutive years. For those with 20 years or more in the league, that payout would extend into a third season as well.
The demands also include full health insurance from the moment a referee leaves home until they return, as well as compensation of at least 100 euros a day for up to five months in the event of an injury sustained during a game or training. On top of that are travel related requests: a daily allowance of 50 euros, raising the mileage rate from the current 0.39 to 0.50 euros per kilometer, and the right to separate travel arrangements when a referee is simultaneously working EuroLeague or EuroCup games.
The last item on the list is not about money at all. Referees are asking the ABA League to formally recognize their association as an equal partner, through a multi year agreement that would give them a say in drafting any future rules that affect them.
What It Would Cost the League
If the league accepts every demand in full, the cost of officiating, including fees, daily allowances and travel expenses, could rise by roughly 1.5 million euros. That would nearly double this part of the budget in the very first season alone, and the gap would grow even wider in 2027/28.
The ABA League now has to move fast. If the proposal, or at least a version close to it, is not accepted, the possibility of a referee work stoppage remains on the table, and that would put the start of a season that is practically at the door in jeopardy.
This time, referees have clearly chosen to play with their cards on the table, laying out the numbers instead of negotiating quietly behind the scenes. That kind of approach rarely goes without friction, but it rarely goes unanswered either. The next move belongs to the ABA League, and the clock on it runs out before the first referee assignment sheet of the season is posted.
