The 2022/23 season of Russia’s Premier League carried a substantial payroll for match officials and investigators, totaling 111,570,000 rubles. This figure reflects the overall remuneration assigned to refereeing staff, observers, and related officials for the duration of the campaign. It does not include the regular monthly salaries paid to referees, which amounted to 50,000 rubles per official per month, a separate line item in the league’s budget that year.
Detailed allocations show 35.76 million rubles earmarked for referees, 35 million rubles for assistant referees, 6 million rubles for substitutes who served in official capacity during matches, 17.58 million rubles for video referees, 8.79 million rubles for video assistant referees, and 8.4 million rubles for inspectors who oversaw the enforcement of rules and match procedures. Together, these categories illustrate a comprehensive approach to ensuring match integrity and officiating standards across every round of the competition.
During the first portion of the season, referees were compensated with a baseline of 115,000 rubles per official per match up to a total of 200,000 rubles for high-stakes assignments, a rate applicable from the 19th round onward. This tiered structure reflected the increasing responsibilities and pressures associated with late-season fixtures as teams jockeyed for position in the standings and playoff contention.
The 2022/23 campaign concluded on June 3, with Zenit Saint Petersburg securing the Russian championship title for a fifth consecutive year, reinforcing their dominance in domestic football. Following closely, CSKA Moscow finished in second place while Spartak Moscow claimed third, underscoring a tightly contested table and the sustained competitiveness of the league’s traditional powerhouses.
As the season drew to a close, playoff qualification took on greater importance for several clubs. Pari Nizhny Novgorod and Fakel Voronezh prepared for a showdown with top-tier First Division teams Yenisei Krasnoyarsk and Rodina Moscow, with the winner earning the opportunity to participate in the next edition of the Premier League. The playoff format emphasized the high stakes of promotion battles, with direct implications for club budgets, squad planning, and long-term ambitions.
In related developments from the coaching ranks, the former head coach of Fakel Voronezh faced public scrutiny after a candid exchange with a journalist following a Moscow Lokomotiv match. The incident highlighted the intense pressure, media dynamics, and the ongoing scrutiny surrounding senior coaching figures in Russian football, where every remark can reverberate across clubs, fans, and media alike.