MLS may need replacement officials after referees vote to strike

The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PRSA), the union representing professional referees in North America and Canada, has voted to authorize a strike, the union said in a statement on Monday.

The vote means it is likely that the MLS season, which starts on February 21 with a match between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Real Salt Lake, will start with replacement officials.

“We knew frustration levels were high as these officials failed to capitalize on the growth of our sport and PSRA was forced to file an unfair labor practice charge to allege direct dealing committed by certain PRO (Professional Referee Organization) managers ,” said Peter Manikowski, president and chief negotiator of the PSRA.

The Athletics reports that the PRSA asked for a pay increase of up to 90%. The PRO, which is responsible for serving officials in the MLS and other professional soccer leagues in the United States, responded with a bid in the single digits.

PSRA officers who work primarily in the MLS are covered by an agreement ratified in February 2019. The agreement expired on January 15, 2024 and was extended until January 31, 2024. The PSRA consists of approximately 250 members, who are employed by the PRO.

A possible work stoppage would also complicate the introduction of new competition rules for the coming season, especially those aimed at preventing time wastage. The MLS has taken a leading role in enforcing the International Football Association Board’s mandate to increase the time the ball is in play beyond 90 minutes. Ifab is the governing body that determines the laws of the game.

After experimenting with new rules in MLS Next Pro, a developmental league, MLS will introduce the strictest time-wasting rules in world soccer for the 2024 season. A new rule designed to reduce the number of players feigning injuries requires a player to leave the field for three minutes for treatment if he remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds. MLS reported that during the 18 months of implementation in MLS Next Pro, there was an 80% reduction in stoppages due to players receiving treatment on the field.

Tough action will also be taken against wasting time during substitutions. In the event of a rule change, a substituted player must leave the field within 10 seconds. If this is not the case, the arriving substitute will be kept off the field for 60 seconds or until the next stoppage in play. There are exceptions for injuries and substitutions of goalkeepers. MLS reported there were only 10 fouls during 3,150 substitutions during the MLS Next Pro trial period.

A potential strike could mean the league is forced to delay implementation of the new rules or work with replacement officials who still have to officiate games with the new restrictions.

In its statement, PRSA highlighted the potential problems with replacement officers. “Any decision by PRO to bring in officials who are not members of PSRA could have a substantial impact on the upcoming MLS season,” the union said. “In 2014, PRO began the MLS regular season with substitute match officials, and their lack of familiarity and experience with MLS teams, players and specialized rules negatively impacted the quality of matches.”

Replacement officials were last used during the 2014 industrial dispute. The PSRA said referee errors ‘skyrocketed’ during that period.