This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has reportedly taken a €100,000 (£84,000) a year pay cut to express his solidarity with the Irish public as they come to terms with the country's economic crisis.

Trapattoni, understood to be on a €1.8million a year contract, agreed to the reduction after speaking with the Football Association of Ireland's general secretary John Delaney, according to The Irish Times.

"John spoke with me and said: 'The FAI has a problem, what do you think about agreeing to reduce your agreement because of this situation?'" the paper reported Trapattoni as saying.

"I said that we could discuss this and accept this ... I think this is right."

Ireland recently agreed an €85billion EU/IMF bailout, which will require unpopular tax rises and spending cuts to pull the country out of a record-breaking recession.

The newspaper said pay cuts "in excess of 5%" would also apply to other members of the football management team, such as Marco Tardelli and Fausto Rossi, as well as the Irish members Mick Martin and Don Givens.

The sports minister Mary Hanafin welcomed Trapattoni's move. "There are people in this country who are earning over half a million – €1.8million in Giovanni Trapattoni's case – and there's absolutely no justification for those high levels at all," she was quoted as saying.

Trapattoni's current contract takes him to the end of the European Championship finals in 2012.