Greek win raises bonuses issue

One of the issues raised by Greece’s unexpected victory in Euro 2004 is how to reward the players for the amazing odyssey that took them further in the tournament than anyone had expected.

Before the semi-final with the Czech Republic there were reports that the players were in dispute with the Greek Football Federation and the government over win bonuses as no provision had been made for them winning the tournament.

The Greeks were paid a bonus for qualifying for a major tournament for the first time in 10 years and received a further dividend when they reached the unchartered territory of the knockout stages.

The Greek federation does not have the same resources as other national federations and their German coach Otto Rehhagel’s salary of £250,000 (€372,196) is relatively modest compared to Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s reported £1m (€1.5m) package and England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, whose £4.1m (€6.1m) salary makes him the highest paid national coach in the world.

The balance sheet of Greek football is in a precarious condition, with AEK Athens in financial turmoil and money tight at all levels.

The Greek government is likely to be asked to resolve the impasse for a situation that no-one budgeted for.

Even the Greek players admitted they had not expected to go so far and it was noticeable that they were carrying their passports after the 1-0 quarter-final win over France as if they had been expecting to return home after the match.

However, with the country in an euphoric state it is certain that some way will be found of rewarding the players for their Herculean performance.

As for Rehhagel, he has already been rewarded for his efforts with a different kind of bonus – he has been offered Greek nationality for his achievements.