The nine (9) key components of Ghana FA’s contract with new coach Milovan Rajevac

At the unveiling ceremony of Milovan Rajevac as the new coach of Ghana, key components of his contract were made public.

This, according to the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association Prosper Harisson Addo, wasn’t the standard practice in such engagements but for the FA to kill speculations and false reportage, the Executive Council of the Ghana FA felt it was the way to go.

The General Secretary then spelt out nine (9) major elements of the contract between the Ghana FA and the Serbian gaffer, which at least, for the next few days, will water down several speculations on the engagement of the 67 year old.

This becomes the second time Milovan Rajevac will be working with the Ghana FA in the same capacity as the head coach of the Black Stars since his maiden engagement in 2008.

From the structured and orderly delivery of the General Secretary during the unveiling ceremony, the Serbian is set to receive far less than what he was receiving for the same job 11 years ago.

But what are the key components of Milovan’s contract?

Duration

Milovan Rajevac will be engaged for a period of 1 year. Unlike previous engagements where the Ghana FA is known to have given coaches a standard contract for 2 years, the Serb will be in office for only 12 months. However, there is a caveat. If Milovan is able to steer the Black Stars to qualify for the 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar, he will have an automatic extension of two more years. Thus, despite having an initial engagement of a year, he can stay on as the Black Stars coach until 2023.

2022 AFCON Target

Milovan has been tasked to get to the final of the AFCON and lift the trophy. Anything apart from lifting the trophy means he’s failed to honour his part of the contract.

2022 World Cup Qualification

Also, the gaffer has been tasked to secure Ghana qualification to the 2022 World Cup to be hosted in Qatar. Two matches have been played already, four more to go. Milovan must, therefore, win all the four remaining games if he’s to see Ghana qualify to the next phase of the qualification.

Salary

Milovan Rajevac will be taking home $30k a month after tax. This is far less than what he was taking 11 years ago for the same job. During his first stint, he was receiving €30k while his translator was also paid by the Ghana FA. This time around, the story is different. Milovan will take home $30k and that’s it.

No Agency involved

The deal between Milovan and the Ghana FA was direct and straightforward. No agency was involved. The Ghana FA was not represented by an agent and so it was for Milovan. This was certainly made public just to save the FA from future accusations of engaging the manager through agencies.

$300k World Cup Qualification Bonus

The Serbian will take home $300k if he’s able to steer the Black Stars to secure qualification to the World Cup in 2022. Ghana have already started the journey on a tupsy turvy footing; winning a game and losing same, throwing the dream of making it to the World Cup into a much difficult gear. Milovan will spark his qualification engine against Zimbabwe next month in a double header and the results will show whether Ghana can make it or not. But the news is that, he takes home $300,000 if he’s able to pick a World Cup ticket for Ghana.

$300k AFCON Winning Bonus

Not only will Milovan make some good money if he guides Ghana to the World Cup, he also stands the chance of getting $300k extra bonus if he ends Ghana’s AFCON trophyless run. He will be given the usual winning bonus (which now stands at $5000 per game) but will make extra $300k for lifting the trophy. Ghana has been chasing the trophy since they last won it in 1982. The last two occasions Ghana made it to the final but couldn’t lift the trophy included Milovan’s efforts. He guided the Black Stars to the finals in 2010 but lost the final by a lone goal to Egypt. The FA is hopeful the Serb is the man to take the team to the finals for the third time since 2010.

Involvement with Player Agents/FIFA Intermediaries

Milovan’s contract will be terminated by the Ghana FA if he’s found to be engaged with agencies or intermediaries that manage the transfers and rights of players. Such kind of engagements will be in direct violation of terms of the contract and also breeds conflict of interest. So the Serb is seriously barred from engaging in such deals, if any.

Milovan to pay his own translator

During his first stint with the Black Stars, Milovan Rajevac had a translator who was also paid by the Ghana FA and 11 years after leaving Ghana, the Serbian seems to have not taken any step to work on his English. He still walks with his translator. However, the story is not the same this time. The translator will be with him alright but Milovan will have to take care of his salaries/allowances by himself. The Ghana FA is not paying this time around.