Trapattoni to begin talks on two-year contract with Ireland on Friday

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni is to begin talks on Friday with the Irish FA over a new two-year contract, a highly placed team official told RIA Novosti. Trapattoni is thought to be ready to accept a 50 percent salary cut from his current 2 million euro-per-year deal to see the Irish through the qualifying stages of the 2014 World Cup. The FAI are putting the new contract on the table even though Ireland’s Euro 2012 qualification fate is still undecided. Earlier reports in the British media suggested the FAI would await the outcome of the campaign before deciding whether to retain the 72-year-old Italian, who joined in 2008. With two games remaining in Group B, Ireland are second on 15 points, two behind leaders Russia and just one point ahead of Armenia and Slovakia in joint third. Ireland’s final games are at Andorra on October 7 and at home to Armenia four days later. Russia travel to Slovakia and then host Andorra. Any one of the top four nations can qualify. The top team gains automatic qualification to next year’s event in Ukraine and Poland, while the second-placed team is entered into a playoff against a runner-up from another group.