Aug 19, 2014
2 minutes
Soccer: Puma pays over half of Italy coach’s salary
Aug 19, 2014
AFP - Puma will pay more than half the salary of Antonio Conte, Italy’s new national coach appointed on Thursday. Some fear conflicts of interest, according to the Italian press.
The former Juventus coach, who has signed a two-year contract as head of the Italian national team, will earn 3.2 million euros per year, slightly more than half of that paid by Puma, the Nazionle’s sponsor, according to the Italian media.
The contract also allows Conte to boost his earnings with bonuses linked to qualifying the team for Euro 2016, reaching the finals and bringing the team into Fifa’s top 8 (note: Italy currently ranks 14th).
While the Italian press has welcomed Conte’s appointment, it also calls into question the unprecedented situation of a "public coach paid by private funds", as pointed out by La Repubblica.
"Conte is now the highest paid coach in the world after Fabio Capello (note: Russia’s coach) through money from a multinational company, which raises questions about a possible influence in his future decisions,” adds the newspaper.
"How will Conte deal with players who are under contract with the same sponsor that pays his salary?" it continues.
For La Stampa, "sports have always been tied up with questions of ethics, but this summer Italian football has to deal with the interference, real or feared, of commercial interests."
A coach paid by a sponsor "could favor a colleague of the same brand ahead of an athlete sponsored by someone else,” argues that daily.
For Carlo Tavecchio, the newly elected president of the Italian Federation (FIGC), "Puma will not decide the line-up, let's not talk gibberish."
"Conte is absolutely independent," responded Tavecchio on Radio 24. “He will pick who he wants and will come under no pressure. We needed a powerful coach and we found one, that's it."
On Tuesday, Conte will give a press conference in Rome, where the details of his contract and his salary should be disclosed.
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