It took the help of a billionaire, but the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) got their man yesterday. Denis O’Brien, an Irish businessman, has agreed to pay half of the salary of Giovanni Trapattoni, the new Ireland manager, who will take charge in May when he leaves Red Bull Salzburg, the Austrian club, at the end of their league season.
“He [O’Brien] contacted us and indicated that he was very supportive of what we were trying to do,” John Delaney, the chief executive of the FAI, said. “He said that he would be prepared to sponsor part of the new manager’s salary [which is about £750,000 net a year] in order to ensure that money was not an insurmountable obstacle to getting the best possible person for the position.
“I spoke to him and he stressed that he did not want to affect the decision or want tickets or sponsorship opportunities in return. He continually stated that the reason for his offer was to put together the type of package to attract a top-quality manager. This offer of financial assistance was a pivotal moment in the recruitment process because it enabled us to raise the bar higher than we had intended.”
O’Brien, a history and politics graduate who twice failed maths at school, was named the fourth wealthiest man in Ireland last year by The Sunday Times Rich List with a personal net worth estimated at £1.5 billion. He is a businessman with wide-ranging interests that have included aviation, mobile phones, the media and property. In 1998 his family trust was involved in buying the company that owned the lease to Belle Vue, Doncaster Rovers’ former ground.
Trapattoni’s first match is expected to be the friendly against Serbia at Croke Park, Dublin, on May 24. He was not in Ireland yesterday, preferring to prepare Salzburg for their match against Mattersburg tomorrow evening. Among his 20 trophies as a club manager, he has won ten league titles in four countries.
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The FAI has given Trapattoni, 68, a two-year rolling contract worth in the region of €1 million net annually. Liam Brady, the former Ireland midfield player who is Arsenal’s head of youth development, will be integrated into the backroom staff. Brady speaks Italian, which will be useful because Trapattoni’s English is no better than that of Fabio Capello, his fellow Italian and the new England manager.
“I am comfortable here in Salzburg,” Trapattoni said yesterday. “We won the title last year and we have a great chance to win it again this year. But the opportunity to manage the Irish team would give me a lot more time to spend with my family. Leaving the title as a farewell present to my Bulls is now my No 1 aim.”
Apart from the same nationality, Capello and Trapattoni share many traits. They are from the “old school” of Italian football – the age ofcatenaccio, when safety-first tactics ruled – and have won a multitude of trophies. They are also imposing men, with neither afraid to use the rod if gentle persuasion has failed; fools or slackers are not tolerated.
But whereas Capello is more of a sergeant-major figure in the way he carries himself, Trapattoni – perhaps because of the age gap (he is seven years older than Capello) and his grey hair – appears calmer and more scholarly.
Niko Kovac, the Salzburg and Croatia midfield player, will miss him. “There are coaches with technical abilities and others with human qualities,” Kovac said. “But with Trapattoni you have everything.”
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All the Irish supporters wanted to hear yesterday was that their team can qualify for the next World Cup finals from a group that, coincidentally, includes Italy, the world champions. And Trapattoni did not disappoint them. “Ireland are not a second-rate team,” he said. “They are supposed to be a first-rate team. Qualifying for the World Cup in 2010 will be hard and playing against the Italian team will make me proud, but it should be possible for Ireland to come first.”
Italians talk the same language (sometimes)
How Giovanni Trapattoni and Fabio Capello compare . . .
Similarities
— Prefer the cautious tactical approach, having grown up in Italy during the safety-first era of catenaccio.
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— Culture vultures. Trapattoni likes classical music, Capello has an extensive art collection worth millions.
— Have played for and managed AC Milan.
— Have won Serie A as manager.
— Temperament. Can resort to “hairdryer” treatment if necessary.
Differences
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— Age. Trapattoni is 68, Capello 61.
— Playing positions. Trapattoni was a defender, Capello a midfield player.
— Caps for Italy. Trapattoni 17, Capello 32.
— Trapattoni has won the European Cup as a manager and player, Capello only as a manager.