Premier League referees ARE being made to pay for their mistakes with annual bonuses of up to £50,000 getting slashed with each error as officials voice concerns over pressure to reverse decisions at the pitchside monitor

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Premier League referees are paying for their mistakes, Sportsmail can reveal, with yearly performance-related bonuses of up to £50,000 taking a hit with each error.

Referees are marked for every performance depending on whether their decisions are deemed right or wrong and these scores are tallied by their bosses in a 'merit table'.

A typical Premier League referee earns a basic salary of around £110,000 to £120,000 but bonuses can boost that figure to £160,000 or £170,000. 

Premier League referees' performance-related bonuses of up to £50,000 take a hit after errors

Bonuses are largely determined by the 'merit table' produced by referees' body PGMOL at the end of each season - in which the top-ranked referee will receive the highest bonus and the bottom-ranked official gets the lowest.

A source said: 'That is why a referee visiting his pitchside monitor is going to be downhearted. 

'If he's made a mistake, which clearly his VAR thinks he has if he's telling him to go review his original decision, then he's going to be marked down for it afterwards.'

The same source explained how, in Europe, a typical mark for a referee might be 8.4 out of 10. If he makes a major mistake that mark dips to 7.9.

Officials are marked for performances depending on whether decisions are right or wrong

The Premier League do it differently, with every decision - as minor as a throw-in or as major as a penalty - marked by evaluators.

The process adds to the pressure referees feel to make correct calls. The final score is fed into the PGMOL's merit table which ranks referees from first to last.

Sportsmail can also reveal how, during a recent half-term review with PGMOL bosses, referees raised concerns about feeling pressure to overturn their original decisions when told to visit the pitchside monitor by VAR. 

They say being told to review a decision on their monitors implies a mistake has been made.

Referees believe reviewing decisions on their pitchside monitor implies a mistake was made

Mike Dean, one of the English game's most experienced officials, recently asked to sit out a round of fixtures following death threats directed at him after incorrect calls.

Dean had shown red cards to West Ham's Tomas Soucek and Southampton's Jan Bednarek after visiting his monitor - both of which were overturned on appeal by the clubs.

There have been a number of other controversial incidents this season when the on-field official has changed his mind after being advised to visit his touchline monitor by Stockley Park.

Mike Dean recently asked to sit out a round of fixtures following death threats directed at him

Certain officials have since noted how they should have stood by their original decision after re-analysing the footage following the game.

A source told Sportsmail: 'When the referees go to that screen it's a high-pressure situation. They know the cameras are fixed on them.

'They have a potentially match-defining decision to make and they're getting guided by a VAR who clearly thinks he should side with what he's seen. It's no wonder they feel under pressure to overturn their calls. All referees are feeling the same way right now.'