Head coach of the senior national football Russell Latapy is to be paid a salary of $248,000 a month, as well as a $72,000 housing allowance, $32,000 vehicle allowance and a $50,000 overseas travel allowance that will total $1,146,000 over the four-month period September to December.
If he retains the job through 2011, the former Soca Warrior is set to receive $3,388,000 including a $216,000 house allowance, a $96,000 vehicle stipend and $100,000 worth in overseas travel.
Asked yesterday if the proposed salary for the senior head coach for the period September 2010 to December 2011 was the same as what he was getting before that time, Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation president Oliver Camps said:"What we had in there (the September 2010 to December 2011 budget) was what we were hoping to get for him, it was not necessarily what he was getting before, but what we hoped to get."
The figures are part of a $25,800,000 Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) budget that has been presented to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
It includes the 16-month period from September 2010 until December 2011 and covers programmes for the national senior men ($11,404,000), national men's Under-23 ($1,408,000), Under-20 ($448,000) , Under-17 ($468,000) teams as well as the women's senior team ($7,700,000), women's U-20 ($224,000), U-17 ($412,000) and Un-15 ($412,000) squads.
It also includes the projected expenses for the technical department ($3,324,000).
Latapy, whose tenure at this country's top football job has been called into question by a series of unimpressive results, the latest being a 1-1 draw with Guyana last month, is set to lead the team into action in the Digicel Caribbean Cup from November 2.
On September 23 at the launch of the Digicel Caribbean Cup, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Anil Roberts issued "Latas" an ultimatum to at least reach the final of the tournament or else face dismissal, reasoning that elite level coaching is a high-pressured job that demanded success and results.
Contacted by the Express yesterday and confronted with the figures, Roberts said the numbers sounded about right, before reiterating his previous stance.
"This salary is commensurate with the salary of a coach at that elite level of this top world sport. However, if the Government, and by extension, the people of Trinidad and Tobago are expected to fund the salary and the programmes of the senior team, as part of making qualification for Brazil 2014 a national priority of this country, then his (Russell Latapy's) job security will be dependent on the results and success he can earn.
"The sustainability of his job must be merit and performance-based, the risks must be commensurate with the pay grade and if you don't make the grade, you go, " Roberts stated.
Besides Latapy, the position of technical assistant of the senior team, currently held by former national goalkeeper Lincoln Phillips, is to carry a $75,000 monthly tag, while the remainder of the 11-person technical staff will be paid as follows: two assistant coaches, one of which is currently Ross Russell, shall each earn $120,000 per month with the goalkeeping coach (Michael Maurice), one fitness coach (there are currently two fitness trainers Gregory Seales and Orlando Griffith) equipment manager (Esmond O'Brien), physiotherapist (Dave Isaac), assistant manager (Peter Rampersad) and team doctor (Dr Terrance Babwah) each receiving $10,000 per month while the manager David Muhammad will be paid $20,000 monthly.
On the women's side, the director of the women's programme is scheduled to receive a monthly payment of $120,000 with the assistant director and the special goalkeeper coach of the senior team each receiving a $50,000 salary.