Get what you pay for? Not in football management
The three highest paid team managers at World Cup 2014 have headed home after the group stages, proving pay is no indicator of performance.
Top of the pay pile is Fabio Capello of Russia. The Russian team only managed two draws and a loss in their group games, scoring just two goals in the process. But that won’t prevent Capello earning $11,235,210 for the year. Nice work if you can get it - although he does have to face Vladimir Putin when he gets off the plane.
Putin on the hunt for Capello. #RUS #BEL 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/OaFY02fEwm
— ScoopeX (@scoopex) June 22, 2014
England boss Roy Hodgson was the second highest earner of the World Cup managers, bringing home $5,874,570 in 2014. The Three Lions also had a very disappointing tournament, only managing to pick up one point in their group games, in a meaningless draw against Costa Rica when they were already eliminated.
Despite this, Hodgson’s position is secure, with the general consensus in the English media that the country didn’t really hope for much better. It must be nice to earn five and a half million dollars in a role where not much is expected from you!
Roy Hodgson: "We showed today what a good team we can be. Apart from the first 10 minutes I thought we dominated." #CRC 0-0 #ENG
— England (@England) June 24, 2014
Number three on the list has resigned after his side’s under-performance. Italy’s Cesare Prandelli fell on his sword immediately after the defeat to Uruguay. The loss cost them a place in the knock-out stages. Before he left his post however he had an annual salary of $4,322,010.
Also in the top 10 in pay terms and going home are Vicente del Bosque of Spain and Alberto Zaccheroni of Japan.
The highest paid of the managers through to the next stage is Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari. He is the fourth highest paid international manager with an annual salary of $3,973,730. His team helped justify his pay by topping their group and they are favourites to win the tournament outright.
Other high-earning managers to come through the group stage are Joachim Low of Germany, Louis van Gaal of The Netherlands and Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld.
At the other end of the scale Miguel Herrera of Mexico has an annual salary of $209,810, which is slightly less than Fabio Capello’s weekly pay. That hasn’t stopped his team qualifying for the knock-out stages and Herrera exceeding all expectations. He seems quite pleased.
Thats how you do it ! Miguel Herrera provided a lifetime of epic goal celebrations.https://t.co/NcOnyz9rrV #WorldCup
— Toss Sports Lounge (@tosslounge) June 24, 2014
Costa Rica’s manager Jorge Luis Pinto and Stephen Keshi of Nigeria both also managed to guide their teams to qualification despite having to survive on salaries of less than half a million dollars.
The maxim that you get what you pay for definitely doesn’t seem to apply in the world of international football management.
Figures courtesy of forbes.com
