Tardelli in the dark at FAI’s plans for pay cut

MARCO TARDELLI says that FAI boss John Delaney has said nothing to him about qualification targets or further pay cuts as prerequisites to a new contract for himself and Giovanni Trapattoni.

The assistant manager, speaking in Malahide before the Irish panel flew out to Moscow yesterday, was responding to some reports which claimed the FAI were edging toward new contracts for the Irish management team provided Ireland attain at least a qualification play-off place in the current Euro 2012 campaign.

The reports also said that the FAI was considering halving the wages of the management team — which, until now, have been partly funded by businessman Denis O’ Brien — from €2.5m to €1.5m.