Liverpool defender John-Arne Riise is furious that the internet has been flooded with copies of his payslip showing details of his monthly salary of 139,634 pounds - now everybody knows he earns less in a month than John Terry gets in a week.
Riise’s payslip showed that he took home more than 82,000 in September last year, though he was deducted 65 pounds for meals.
Cynics might joke that Terry’s agent demanded a bonus for his player being seen in the Chelsea canteen after he secured a deal estimated at 150,000 pounds per week, more than seven million pounds per year.
New British Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe described the Chelsea captain’s wage as “obscene” on Thursday though he was probably a bit late with his prediction that football was in danger of alienating itself from ordinary people.
Terry though, has shown he can still relate to the man in the street, even if it is the King’s Road.
With his Chelsea team mate Frank Lampard holding out on signing his new deal, seemingly upset a centre back might overtake him as the club’s highest-paid player, Terry leapt to his friend’s defence earlier this season.
No doubt expecting an understanding nod from Mr Joseph Public, Terry said Lampard was right to hold out as this would be his last big contract and he had to think about the security of his family.
He’s right of course. With probably only around 20 million in the bank already there is a real danger that Frank’s children will be reduced to rags if he is forced to settle for a paltry 135,000-a-week.
Mitch Phillips, London
PHOTO: Liverpool’s Riise scores past Chelsea’s Terry during English Community Shield in 2006 Reuters/Kieran Doherty
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9 comments so far
I don’t know how he makes ends meet, I really don’t. Oh, hang on a minute: turns out he doesn’t. See the story http://www.footballexpo.com/riise-bankru pt
- Posted by LondonI understand that a football player’s career is short but there has to be a limit to how much some of these players are earning.
- Posted by JohnA limit could get complicated, though. Say you have a maximum salary of 2 million quid a year for Liverpool or Manchester United players, how much is the limit going to be at Arsenal or Chelsea, or FC Zurich or Spartak Moscow for that matter. If there’s an unweighted salary cap all the top players are going to be move to Blackburn Rovers, otherwise they won’t be able to make the mortgage payments.
- Posted by ElenaIt’s obscene having to pay that amount of money to the Inland Revenue. I hope they spend it wisely!
sincerely yours
John
- Posted by honest johnappalled of Tunbridge Wells
It’s ludicrous the amount they are paid, and with it all the figures becoming known to the general public it is just money that is going to motivate youngsters, rather than pride. It’s sad and unless someone does something about it, it is only going to get worse.
I agree with Elena though, I’m not sure how a salary cap would work.
- Posted by Betfair KidThis is the real world.
Putting things into perspective, Bankers, Businessmen, Lawyers, Doctors can earn even more. American sportsman earn more also.
Most important is that good’ol Riise is paying his fair share of taxes which would hopefully benefit the old lady next door or some underprivileged kids… if the govt doesn’t squander away too much of the taxes haha
Let’s not also forget that football is the most watched/popular sport in the world and it’s only right that the elite get elite salaries, so let’s not get all communist on them eh?
- Posted by Five TimesI was wondering how much large the salaries are in a team such as fc spartak moscow? If the Chelsea players are making so much im curoius how much the smaller clubs make.
- Posted by Dansorry…***how large the***
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- Posted by » Riise riches spark anger for differing reasons