Insulting referees is a right, the European Court rules

Criticizing and insulting football referees is a right protected by freedom of expression, but suggesting that officials are corrupt or criminal goes too far, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on Tuesday.

The court, based in Strasbourg, has ruled on a series of cases brought by Porto football club and two former officials.

The cases concerned a series of penalties imposed by Portuguese football authorities and courts for attacks on Porto-owned media outlets, bringing into question the said referees and the refereeing system as a whole, following matches involving bitter rivals Benfica in particular.

The European Court rejected Porto’s position in most cases involving «allegations of corruption and match-fixing».

“Arbitration errors or irregularities alone, even if numerous or repetitive over time, do not in themselves constitute sufficient evidence of the existence of the scheme alleged by the applicants,” the judgment said. “Therefore, such speculative connections or assumptions were made by the applicants and conveyed to the wider public without minimal factual basis.”

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It pointed out that Portuguese courts had referred to “conspiracy theories”.

However, the court ruled in favor of club newsletter Dragoes Diario, which was punished for a 2019 article published after Benfica won 4-1 at Feirense. The piece said an appointed official “has a problem with impartiality” and “had a career as a referee full of untenable decisions” before becoming a VAR official and “following the same shameful path”.

The court ruled that this was acceptable fan talk.

“These statements were value judgments about a referee’s performance,” it wrote. “Such critical comments are often made in the football context, where incidents during a match often give rise to differing and controversial interpretations and opinions, often influenced by club relations.”

The court added that abuse was associated with the duties of a referee

“Referees who participate in high-level football competitions are indeed subject to a certain degree of public exposure,” the report wrote. “When referees act in this capacity, they may be subject to broader limits of acceptable criticism than ordinary citizens.”

It ruled that the Portuguese penalties for these comments violated Article 10 (on freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights, and ordered the Portuguese authorities to repay a fine of 15,300 euros ($17,500) in damages and to cover costs.

The ECtHR is an international court responsible for adjudicating disputes relating to violations of the European Convention on Human Rights in the 46 signatory states.

Published on July 7, 2026