Owner Ellis Short has overseen a 25% pay hike to £663,000 for the unnamed board member and also sanctioned a 21% increase in the club’s overall wage bill
Nigel Roddis
Sunderland have awarded a top director a six-figure pay rise - as the club fights relegation again.
has overseen a 25% pay hike to £663,000 for the unnamed board member and the sanctioning of a 21% rise in the club’s overall salary bill.
The £130,000 rise comes as Sunderland admit they rely on Short’s personal wealth to prop up their loss-making finances.
Sunderland tonight refused to comment on which board member had banked the extra salary - and do not have to, because they are a private company.
Short is the senior executive and ultimate boss.
Per Magnus Andersson is his No2, with chief executive Margaret Byrne next in the chain of command and Angela Lowes in the role of financial director.
Sunderland AFC
£663k
Director's new salary
£130k
25%
The figures, for the year to July 31st 2014, cover Paolo Di Canio being sacked, Gus Poyet's appointment, Sunderland reaching the Capital One Cup final and a miracle escape from relegation.
The club is having just sacked Poyet and appointed Dutchman Dick Advocaat until the end of the season.
He began with . West Ham 1-0 Sunderland in pictures:
The pay rise at the top of the Stadium of Light mirrors the ballooning wage bill at the club – up £12m to £68m.
Sunderland made an operating loss of £19.8m, compared with £23.1m in the previous year.
Billionaire Short's wealth is vital in absorbing the losses and keeping the club running.
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Turnover increased to £101m, up from £72m, because the club survived in the Premier League and banked extra income from an improved television deal. But operating costs chewed up most of that, rising to £120m from £95m.
Sunderland are currently fourth bottom and will face a huge cut in income if they go down. However many players are on contracts which see their wages cut in half if they end up in the Championship.
have bank loans of £38.6million. Gate receipts were up from £12 million to £15.7million, with TV revenue up from £44.9 million to £71.8 million.
£19.8m
Operating loss
£101m
Turnover
£120m
Operating costs
For year to July 31, 2014
Advocaat has warned that the rest of the season could be ugly as he gets his players scrapping for survival.
Striker Steven Fletcher, who has upset fans by , is convinced financial disaster can be avoided with Advocaat’s “animated” approach.
Under fire: Fans slammed striker Fletcher recently for posing with £260k Lamborghini supercar
He said: “The manager has provided a lift around the place. We needed a boost. He is a very animated manager and that is good for us. He’s brought that to training.
"He gets the players running and chasing it down. It is structural. We have eight games left and we’ve got a big chance.”
