Donadoni unlikely to get payout

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-26  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

ITALY coach Roberto Donadoni will receive no compensation if speculation that he is about to be sacked and replaced by predecessor Marcello Lippi proves to be true.

It had been rumored that the Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) would pay six months salary, an estimated 550,000 euros (US$856,822) to terminate the two-year contract extension Donadoni signed prior to Italy's Euro 2008 campaign.

However, the coach said he asked for the compensation package to be taken out of the deal.

"I said 'no' to the proposal that the president (of the FIGC Giancarlo Abete) made me on the day of the renewal," La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Donadoni as saying yesterday. "I'm not interested in the economic side of things. If I'm no longer the coach for him, I'll go without asking for anything."

Abete told reporters late yesterday that reaching the Euro 2008 semifinals was a condition of Donadoni's contract extension. The world champion lost Sunday's quarterfinal against Spain on penalties.

"The contract features an automatic two-year renewal in the case of reaching the semifinals, which unfortunately did not happen," the FIGC president said.