O’NEILL’S ‘PAID HIS WAY’
WORTH IT: O’Neill MARTIN O’NEILL says he is worth every penny of his contract as Ireland boss.
The former Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa chief is reportedly on a
£1.9million salary – although that has not been confirmed by the FAI.
But O’Neill maintains he has “paid his way” after getting Ireland to Euro
2016. He said: “We made substantial money from that tournament. So I don’t think I have to worry too much about my wages. I have paid my way.
“Apparently somebody seems to know the terms of my contract. Sorry, they don’t. That is a private concern.
“But I will say this. Throughout my career I have more than paid my way. If you ask any of the clubs that I’ve been at, I’ve justified the salary. And if you asked the people at the FAI, you will find they’ve been pretty happy.
“When I came into the job five years ago, there was something like 7,000 people going to the game against Latvia. Then, after I was appointed, it turned out to be 35,000 at the game.
“I don’t have to be justifying all of these things but I think if you look at the big picture, it’s pretty well clear.”