Today is the day. Brazil will face Croatia in the first match of the 2014 World Cup. Luis Felipe Scolari, Brazil’s coach, has the unenviable task of convincing the home crowd that the team he helms is fit to win it all. Nico Kovac, coach of the Croatians has to prove that his side is as promising as pundits are claiming they are. Both coaches will, in the end, have the limited influence every coach has: a substitution can work swiftly and seamlessly, or it can be the wrench in the gear box that crashes the machine. Still, they do not touch the ball.
So, how much should you pay the mastermind of your tactical operations? How much should a calming gesture or a few rousing primal screams from the sidelines be worth?
Well, for this World Cup we know.
According to a MailSport article, the highest payed coach is Italian Fabio Capello who is trying to steer Russia back into a contender’s position in the world stage.
Of the Latino teams, Luiz Felipe Scolari is 4th with 3.9 million dollars a year. You have to scroll down to the 14th spot to reach another Latino coach. Sampaoli, Chile’s coach who will be managing for the first time in the World Cup pockets 1.7 million dollars, and next to him, in 15th place, José Pekerman, credited with rekindling Colombian hopes earns 1.6 million. The last spot in the list is occupied by Mexican head coach, Miguel “El Piojo” Herrera. For his troubles, he’ll be earning just over 200,000 dollars this year.
So, which team is getting the better deal?