Donadoni Ultimatum: 'Semi-finals Or Bust'

[M|ch]

According to reports from Italy, Roberto Donadoni will only have his contract renewed if Italy get to the semi-finals or beyond at Euro 2008.


The Italy coach met with football federation president Giancarlo Abete on Thursday this week to discuss a contract extension with the FIGC releasing a statement that read: "The meeting was positive and the goal is to define a contractual agreement of reciprocal satisfaction as soon as possible."
But today newspapers in the peninsula are claiming that Donadoni's demands have been rejected out of hand.
Instead, the Azzurri boss will be asked to accept the new deal within the next month or wait until the end of the European Championship's to see if he reaches the final four of the competition.
Donadoni's current deal expires at the end of Euro 2008 and is said to be worth 1 million euros a season. Any new contract would take him through to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Italy are in a tough Euro 2008 group alongside France, Holland and Romania and the pressure will now be on Donadoni as he now knows that failure to progress to at least the semi-finals will see him sacked.
To date, the former Milan winger has won 11 of his 17 matches in charge.
Gil Gillespie