Liverpool FC Forum

[Reg]

Rafa's Benitez's Liverpool contract: the clauses that sealed the deal

Subject: NOTICE OF CHANGE TO EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT.

Dear Rafa,

As agreed in our discussion of Monday 19th March, 2009, the following changes in your employment contract will take effect on 1st April 2009.

Details of change: Contract dated 01/07/2004 – Clauses 2,4, 7a, 12, and 23c.

The Employer: Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool FC. Anfield Road. Liverpool, Merseyside. L4 OTH

The Employee: Rafael Benitez, The Most Expensive House in the Wirral. Merseyside, CH46 1RB.

Clause 2: Job description. Current: The employee’s job title is: Manager. New: The employee’s title is: Emperor.

Summary of changes: Under the new contract arrangement, the employee will assume complete and unquestionable control over all matters regarding to the business, future and finances of Liverpool Football Club (LFC), both on and off the field. Player recruitment, boardroom appointments, pre-season tours, colour of playing kit (Home, Away and Third), office wallpaper, car park space allocation, stadium design, disciplinary procedure, canteen menu and identity of broadband provider are all at the sole discretion of the employee.

Clause 4. Sickness entitlement. The employer will receive full salary for an unlimited amount of time due to sickness caused by kidney stones and/or injuries caused by excessive and animated hand waving.

Clause 7a. Status of chief executive. LFC’s current chief executive, Richard Parry, will be immediately stripped of all privileges related to the office. Those include club mobile phone, director’s box access and subsidised treatments at Pam’s Perm Palace. Mr Parry will be allowed paid entry to the stadium only on those occasions the employee is in hospital undergoing kidney stone removal surgery.

Clause 12. Jurgen Klinsmann. Any club employee/board member heard to mention the phrases ‘Jurgen’ and/or ‘Klinsmann’ will be instantly dismissed.

Clause 23c. Facts. Current: Facts are objectively provable statements. New: Facts are whatever the employee says they are.

These are the agreed changes to your contract. Please read, sign, and return in the envelope provided, one signed copy of this notice.

Yours faithfully,

Tom Hicks and (reluctantly) George Gillett.

[GRAHAM01]

sounds about right where does he sign

[metalhead]

Clause 2: Job description. Current: The employee’s job title is: Manager. New: The employee’s title is: Emperor.

   

[Sir Roger]

At last!
Now hes got his way I can feel the double coming on.
Aint no stopping us now...

[DanAn]

Not sure but I think he could be or even could be in his last year. Before it all died down (before we bought Keane) a lot of people were saying if he waited till the summer he could come to us for less than half of what MON was asking - something silly like 2m I think. I could be wrong though. But even MON said that was a risk he was willing to take. Anyway hopefully we will beat Villa on the weekend.

He can buy out his contract for 2m in theory but top teams have an agreement that they won't take adavantage of this. Still I think rather than 18m we might see them ask for 12m this time.

[tubby]

Really? Feck that he should buy it out and come to us after the fuss MON threw up. Isnt that what Beckham is doing to move to AC?

[GYBS]

12 mil ??!?! feck that he isnt worth 12 mil and would rathe rnot blow that amount of money on barry

[Sir Roger]

Clause 2: Job description. Current: The employee’s job title is: Manager. New: The employee’s title is: Emperor.

   

I think "supreme" should go before emperor...?

[GYBS]

Rafa Interview

How happy are you to have signed a new contract, Rafa?

I'm really, really pleased. We've been talking about things for a long time, so it's good that it's been finalised and we can finish with the talks. Now we can start working with everything sorted.

You are a football man - is it a relief that you can now forget the contract talk? Has it ever been a distraction?

It was a distraction in every single press conference because they were asking the same question! I was trying to concentrate on football and I think we were doing well.

How important is this in terms of planning for next season - can the work start now with regards finding new players, for example?

This is important because the players want to know who the manager will be. The fans do also. But decisions in terms of players - it's really important to know who the manager will be, then you can start working.

Were you always confident a deal would be done?

Yes, we started slowly but little by little we got closer. I had confidence because my priority was to stay.

And the owners have shown a lot of faith by giving you a five-year deal, haven't they?

Yes, they always tried to do their best. They worked very hard. They also had people working very hard with my advisors. Thanks to all these people we've been able to do things. They are pleased with the job we're doing. Everyone always wants to win more, but clearly they can see the progression. They can see the improvement of the squad, so I think they are really pleased - hopefully they'll be pleased at the end of the deal!

The contract will take you to 10 years at Anfield - did you imagine you'd be here that long when you first arrived?

Not really. Five years in Spain is a long contract - so 10 years is very, very long. I say again, I'm really pleased because it means we've improved things and we can still improve.

verpool have had some great managers but not many have lasted 10 years - how proud would that make you?

It's difficult to explain. I am so pleased and happy to be staying. If I can be here 10 years then I'll be one of the happiest managers in the world.

How settled are you and your family here on merseyside - is this home now?

Yes, clearly it is for my family. My daughters and my wife are really settled down here and I think they, particularly the little one, are more English than Spanish.

And a word on the fans…why do you think you've developed such a strong bond with them?

I think they could see we were working hard from the first day, and then we won the Champions League, and more competitions since. Everyone could see the team needed something, and they saw that we were giving the club and the team these things. We've been close and still improving in the last few years and I think the fans can see the difference. I am really happy and proud to have their support. The fans have been the key to my decision.

The deal keeps you here for another five years - what are your goals and ambitions in that time?

It's difficult to have a target. Clearly we have to improve everything still if we want to be contenders every year. The target is to improve the squad and work in different ways to make sure we stay together. The target is to improve every year, and I think now it will become easier to win trophies.

How confident are you we can win the league before 2014?

Clearly I have a lot of confidence because I have signed a deal like this. I want to win and I think we can do it. The main thing now is to work harder and try to do the right things.

How much are you looking forward to the challenges of the next five years?

I am really excited at having the opportunity to improve and win things. When you have time it's easier. We have five years' experience so we can start improving things straight away. For example, I was trying to talk with an agent just now to extend the contract of a player. That's what I was doing before this interview - trying to arrange a meeting with an agent.

This caps off an amazing week for the club, doesn't it?

Yes, it's been a fantastic week. The players have done really well on the pitch and the atmosphere around the club and mood has been really good. I'm really happy.

[Owzat]

He will start his final year of contract next season . still think we should be looking for better players than barry but it all depends on what sort of money rafa will get during the summer

I wasn't a big fan of paying over the odds for Barry in the summer, but if we get him for £2m-£5m then it's better than paying what you'd have to pay for someone of his ability (under normal circumstances, £18m as mooted in the summer for instance)

He can buy out his contract for 2m in theory but top teams have an agreement that they won't take adavantage of this. Still I think rather than 18m we might see them ask for 12m this time.

Don't see why clubs shouldn't take advantage of it, small clubs take the p when it comes to transfer fees - I mean £18m for a player worth maybe £12m, what's that about? Offer the leprechaun a good young player for a little over the odds and he'd refuse, don't see why we should cut clubs like villa slack when they long since milked lots of clubs and want to come out winners in every transfer.

[tubby]

12 mil ??!?! feck that he isnt worth 12 mil and would rathe rnot blow that amount of money on barry

Yeah I was gonna say. Some people rasied eyebrows at Arsenal for spending 13mil on Arshavin who is like 28 so 12Mil on Barry would be a huge waste. I think if it wee 6 - 8 Mil then maybe worth a punt. But even then would you spend that or if you had the chance for someone top class elsewhere for 20Mil what would you rather get?

[GYBS]

would rather spend the 20 odd mil on someone with real class and creativity - same as what i wanted during last summer

[Thingy]

SSN have got a " exclusive" interview with Hicks on now, should be interesting.

[zarababe]

king Kenny has just been on radio city saying he is made up that rafa is staying and that he thinks there will be a annoucement soon about investment in the club aswell. Imagine twit & tw@t are selling up   

Yep - and for those who said he was going off our Rafa (Lakes )...
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163660090318-2235.htm


KENNY DALGLISH ON RAFA'S NEW DEAL
Paul Eaton 19 March 2009 
Kenny Dalglish has spoken of his delight after hearing the news that manager Rafael Benitez has signed a four year extension to his Liverpool contract. 
As revealed exclusively on Liverpoolfc.tv on Wednesday evening, Benitez has put pen to paper on a new deal which will keep him at Anfield until 2014.
 
Dalglish was thrilled to learn of the announcement and insists the timing of it couldn't have been any better.
 
"We've just had two great results against Real Madrid and Manchester United and now the manager - the man we all believe is the right man for the job - has signed his contract. It's fantastic news at the end of a magnificent week," Dalglish told Liverpoolfc.tv.
 
"I think the timing of this is brilliant for everyone. It allows Rafa plenty of time to prepare for next season, to identify new players he may want to bring into the club and to look at any other changes he may want to make.
 
"If we'd gone into the summer with his future still undecided then it would have been difficult to make those sort of plans.
 
"Now that it's all sorted everyone can settle down and I don't think any Liverpool fan could possibly be any happier at this moment in time.
 
"It's been a very positive week for everyone connected with the club, but let's hope it's just the first of a number of positive weeks before the end of the season.
 
"This season isn't finished yet and it's by no means a foregone conclusion that Manchester United are going to win the league. We gave them a fright at the weekend so the title race is open again, and then on Friday we'll wait to see who we draw in the Champions League. There's still lots to play for and lots to be excited about.
 
"As Liverpool fans, I think we're just all really happy right now that the boys are performing very well and that Rafa has ended all the speculation about his future by signing his new deal. It's great news."

[tubby]

Well at least now we know now there is no new people coming into the club. A bit of a damper after this Rafa news,