The referees’ strike ended. The MLS finally reached an agreement with the arbitrators who maintained a 37 day break and which forced the league to use substitute whistlers in the most recent matches of the championship.
In a statement, the MLS reported that “the Professional Referees Organization (PRO) and the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) They finalized a new Collective Bargaining Agreement“, reads the letter published on the league’s official site.
The agreement, which covers the next seven yearsthat is, from 2024 to 2030, It represents the longest collective agreement for referees in the history of Major League Soccer.
With this signed, the referees represented by PSRA, who took a break from activities, will return to whistle in the league starting this weekend.
MLS Executive Vice President of Sports Products and Competition Nelson Rodríguez issued the following statement regarding the new Collective Bargaining Agreement:
“Major League Soccer has some of the best referees in the world, and PRO’s new collective agreement with PSRA recognizes this by committing substantial resources to the referee programan investment that is among the highest of any global football league. We are pleased that this agreement provides PRO with a strong, long-term partnership to continue developing and training refereess to make our refereeing even better,” Nelson Rodríguez, MLS executive vice president of sports products and competition, said in the letter, referring to some of the benefits for judges that the agreement includes.
“We thank PRO and the referees who have worked selflessly since the start of the 2024 MLS season. Many of these referees were already advancing to become PRO match referees, and their participation provided important on-field experience, which will continue to benefit PRO, MLS and all other leagues in the future,” the letter adds.
Finally, MLS thanked the MLS players, coaches and clubs “for their professionalism” and the fans for their support despite the circumstances.
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