Tottenham: Daniel Levy not to blame for £3m bonus controversy as EFL club chief speaks out
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has come in for plenty of criticism from supporters in recent weeks for several off-the-field controversies in North London.
Spurs announced in an official statement via their website (6 March) that season ticket prices are set to rise by six per cent for next season, with the cheapest ticket available to adults now costing £856 in a decision that has been slammed by fans.
Following that announcement, Tottenham’s official accounts for the year showed Levy had not only received a pay rise from £3.265million to £3.851 million, but also was rewarded with a £3million bonus for his work [Kieran Maguire, 3 April].
While that news has been poorly received by fans, Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has come to Levy’s defence and suggested he isn’t to blame as these sorts of bonuses will have been decided by those above Levy.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Thursday (4 April, 10:41) he said: “We’re dealing in a billion and trillion dollar industry, what do you think CEOs get paid? What do you think people at massive companies that are worth billions get paid?
“I’m not here to defend Daniel Levy, but the reality is Daniel Levy has a contract with Spurs. I know he’s a minor shareholder, he’s the guy who’s the CEO, he runs the ship and he will have a contract. In his contract, he will have incentives and bonuses.
“If you achieve all those bonuses and hit all those targets and you’re due your bonus, would you hand it back? Would you say, ‘No I can’t have that because we put the prices up somewhere’?
“You’re an employee with a work contract and by the way I believe he hasn’t had one [a bonus] in five years, so there has been a period of time where he’s forgone any kind of bonus.
“He’s opened a magnificent stadium and they’ve obviously hit metrics targets, they’ve done well as a club in the last 12 months in hiring Ange so he’s obviously due a bonus that hit a target in his contract and he’s got paid.
“Like I said what’s he meant to do say no? He’s not the majority owner, he works for somebody.”
Will Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou have money to spend at Tottenham in the transfer window?
Levy was always going to be criticised for his decision to raise season ticket costs, especially with news emerging over his bonus, but it does seem as though the Spurs CEO isn’t the man that supporters should be blaming.
Nobody in any other industry would be expected to turn down a bonus that they had contractually earned, but those in football are often held to a different standard and Levy appears to be no different.
While tensions may be high in the Spurs fanbase at this moment in time, that can quickly be eased if Ange Postecoglou is backed in the summer transfer window as fans will appreciate the board’s ambition.
Whether it has led to the most successful football in recent years or not, Levy has run Spurs in a way that has made them incredibly financially stable, especially when almost every other side is fearing a potential point deduction.
Arguably, running a football club properly shouldn’t be rewarded with a multi-million pound bonus but those appear to be the terms in Levy’s deal and he was never likely to reject that sort of financial boost.
In other Tottenham news, Alan Hutton has offered his verdict on Ange Postecoglou’s future amid links within Liverpool
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