A chara, – So through a 10 per cent pay cut that still leaves him on a higher annual salary than the King of Spain, FAI supremo John Delaney wants to show leadership (“Delaney to cut wage by 10 per cent to €360,000”, Sport, July 23rd)? Let me be the first to applaud him, and suggest an even more revolutionary approach.
Sport is, as we know, a results-based business, and Mr Delaney is responsible for the delivery of success on the soccer field. Why not then give him a basic salary at the level of the minimum wage, and bonuses based on how well our teams do in competition? I’d be more than happy to see him awarded €10,000 for every point the international team win in qualifying, and a generous €50,000 for every point our club sides gain in the Europa League or Champions League group stages over the next three years.
Not only would it give our teams an incentive to go out and try to win matches, it might also compel the FAI to address the appalling state of the League of Ireland and its recent slide back into the abyss in European terms. Shamrock Rovers crashing out of Europe is but the latest disappointment.
If Mr Delaney were to succeed, I’m sure Irish fans would not begrudge him such generous bonuses; should things continue as they are, I’m sure they would be more than happy to buy him pints in foreign cities to drown his sorrows, rather than the other way around. – Yours, etc,