Serbian FA: Antic will have to take pay cut
Reuters - Saturday 26 June 2010, 10:13
JOHANESBURG - Serbian Football
Association (FSS) president Tomislav Karadzic has said the
national team's coach Radomir Antic will have to take a pay cut
after their first round World Cup exit in South Africa.
Karadzic criticised Antic's tactics in Serbia's 2-1 defeat
by Australia which resulted in a group stage exit and said the
failure to reach the knockout rounds had cost the FSS an
estimated $5 million.
"Our ambition was to reach the quarter-finals, while the
failure to do so will be a huge financial blow and it means we
will have to cut costs on all levels," Karadzic told the FSS
website.
"That includes coach Radomir Antic, whose team selection
against Australia, when we played with only one striker and we
needed to win, will also come under scrutiny.
"It doesn't mean we will part company but he will have to
accept a pay cut because his improved contract was based on the
assumption that we would achieve more in the World Cup and earn
an additional $5 million."
Antic's contract with the FSS expires after Euro 2012 and
Karadzic made it clear that qualifying for the event was a top
priority for the 61-year old coach.
"Reaching the European Championship is the only way to heal
our World Cup wounds," he said.
"Our campaign in South Africa was not a complete disaster
because we beat triple world champions Germany, but we have to
be ruthlessly honest to ourselves and say that we have failed to
live up to expectations."
Serbia finished bottom of Group D with one win and two
defeats, having lost their opening match to Ghana 1-0 before
beating the Germans by the same score.
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