High-priced Roberto Mancini must temper pay expectations if he’s to be considered for Socceroos job

FORMER Manchester City and Inter Milan boss Robert Mancini would have to take a pay cut of almost 85 per cent to accept the challenge of leading the Socceroos into the World Cup.

Roberto Mancini is on a hefty package with his Russian club.

ROBERTO Mancini would have to take a pay cut of almost 85 per cent to accept the challenge of leading the Socceroos into the World Cup, illustrating the gulf between what Football Federation Australia can afford and the riches on offer in some of Europe’s cashed-up leagues.

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The former Manchester City and Inter Milan boss, who led City to the EPL title but has never coached at international level, has emerged as one of the figures on FFA’s shortlist, despite being under contract to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg for another two seasons.

It’s understood there has been no direct contact yet between either side, but a major stumbling block is likely to be the $1.5m salary that FFA has signalled it can offer for a foreign coach to lead Australia through to the end of its World Cup campaign.

Roberto Mancini is on a hefty package with his Russian club.

According to detailed reports at the time of his appointment, Mancini is on an annual net salary of some $10.7m at Zenit.

As well as the two seasons left on his contract there is an option for more, so confident were Zenit that his appointment would be a success.

The salary on offer in Australia is a gross (pre-tax) figure, expected to be for roughly five months’ work. On an annualised basis, that equates to around $1.8m net, or 1.2m euros, compared with the $10.7m he earns at Zenit.

Mancini has been linked with the head coach role at both PSG and the Italian national team, though the latter cannot offer the opportunity of coaching at a World Cup.

But as a former Italian international with 36 caps, and a successful coaching record in Italy where he has won three Serie A titles, there is popular support for him to replace Gian Piero Ventura at the helm of the Azzurri.

He also turned down $22.9m to coach in China, suggesting he is not driven solely by money.

Nonetheless the salary being mooted for the Socceroos role is meagre in European terms, with FFA hoping that the opportunity to coach at a World Cup is carrot enough in itself.

Another stumbling block is FFA’s plan to replace the foreign coach in charge at the World Cup with a domestic candidate afterwards, leading the side into the Asian Cup and then the qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Mancini is the only one of the figures on FFA’s short list currently in long-term employment, and is likely to be wary of a short-term assignment.

FFA boss David Gallop says he still hopes to make an appointment by mid-February, with the Socceroos locked in to play a pair of friendlies with Norway and Colombia in March. The new coach will have just those games, and possibly a couple just before the World Cup, to evaluate the squad bequeathed by Ange Postecoglou.

Originally published as High-priced Roberto Mancini must temper pay expectations if he’s to be considered for Socceroos job