Denis O'Brien to pay half of Trapattoni wages

Giovanni Trapattoni will take up the reins of Republic of Ireland manager in 11 weeks’ time courtesy of the backing of a billionaire benefactor who has helped to turn “a pipe-dream” into reality.

One of Ireland’s foremost entrepreneurs in Denis O’Brien, who has amassed his fortune from telecommunications and media enterprises, is to part-fund Trapattoni’s wages for the next two years in a no-strings-attached deal.