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O’Brien revealed as Irish benefactor
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O’Brien revealed as Irish benefactor
February 13, 2008
Billionaire entrepreneur Denis O’Brien has been revealed as the benefactor who will donate €1m towards the salary of new Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni – intimating that the appointment would not have been possible without it.
Trapattoni, 68, will take over as the next Irish manager on May 1st when his contract with Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg comes to an end.
And FAI chief executive John Delaney has expressed gratitude to O’Brien, pointing to his offer as key to attracting a manager of Trapattoni’s stature.
The Italian will earn in the region of €2m per year – roughly double the salary which had been put forward by the FAI after Steve Staunton’s departure in October.
And Delaney admitted Trap’s appointment would not have been possible without the intervention of telecommunications and media magnate O’Brien (49).
He said: “He stressed that he did not want to influence any decision nor did he want tickets or sponsorship opportunities of any kind.
“He continually said that his reasons were to make it easier for the FAI to put together the type of package needed to attract a top quality manager.
“At this point, on behalf of the FAI, and on behalf of the Irish fans, I would like to extend our deep gratitude to businessman Denis O’Brien.”
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