This followed a £320000 bonus in 2001 and he is receiving a similar sum this year bringing

This followed a £320,000 bonus in 2001, and he is receiving a similar sum this year, bringing his total bonus close to £1m. The Premier League would not confirm whether he is on a similar personal incentive for the next television deal.Mr Kenyon’s basic £363,000 was swollen by bonuses, in cash and shares, of £182,000, which, with pension contributions and other benefits, made his total package £625,000. United’s turnover and profits rose in 2002, largely as a result of improved television revenue from the Premiership’s new deal, and reaching the Uefa Champions League semi-final. The share price, however, fell.David Gill, the managing director, was paid £487,000 while Nick Humby joined as United’s new finance director on £173,000.

Like most of football’s top directors, all are on 12-month rolling contracts, which means, like Mr Ridsdale, they are guaranteed a year’s salary when they depart.Martin Edwards, the former chief executive who has made well over £100m from selling his shares in United, earned £149,000 as a non-executive part-time director, and he too has a 12-month rolling contract.A survey by the Chartered Management Institute, in association with a research company Remuneration Economics, found that the average pay of chief executives at companies with a similar turnover to United was £173,009, less than one-third of Mr Kenyon’s package. In the real world, he would have to be running a £1.25bn company just to make his basic.In 2001, Leeds turned over £86.2m, lost £7m and nearly doubled the club’s debt to £39m. Nevertheless, because Leeds made an operating profit, its remuneration committee, which comprised Richard North and the renowned non-executive director Allan Leighton, awarded Mr Ridsdale a £270,000 bonus, making his total package a round £600,000.Last year, the club took on a £60m bond, secured on future gate receipts, which is now crippling it, reduced turnover to £81.5m, lost £34m and nearly doubled the debt again, to £78m. No bonus for Mr Ridsdale, because the club made an £8m operating loss, but he still enjoyed a 15 per cent increase in his basic salary to £370,000.The Leeds spokesman confirmed that Mr Ridsdale will be paid his whole package, £383,000, for the next 12 months, although he has left a mountain of trouble for the new chairman, Professor John McKenzie, to sort out.Brendan Barber, the TUC’s general secretary-elect, condemned the pay packages: “Just as we expect heads of corporate Britain not to indulge in excessive pay and bonuses, so we expect moderation from the heads of football.

But too often the directors of failing firms and struggling clubs continue to profit when restraint would be more appropriate.”No such restraint was noticeable at one of the TUC’s affiliated unions, the Professional Footballers Association, which paid its chief executive, Gordon Taylor, a staggering £623,227. The TUC refused to discuss his package and Mr Taylor was unavailable, although he usually points out that his pay is voted on by his members, the players.Most observers say the huge money paid to players – £2m to £3m a year in the Premiership, far more than directors – has infected football generally and fuelled the culture of boardroom excess.There were, however, some examples of moderation, notably Charlton Athletic, a club widely admired as a model, for retaining community values while establishing itself in the Premier League.Charlton’s turnover increased last year but the club lost £10m. The chairman, Richard Murray, actually took a pay cut, from £54,000 to £50,000, a figure at least within the comprehension of ordinary mortals, the supporters, who in effect pay the wages of all football directors.As ever, nobody involved in running football was prepared to criticise the excesses. There is no point turning to the Football Association; the once amateur governing body last year paid its now-departed chief executive, Adam Crozier, £567,000 – a 35 per cent increase on the previous year.

So well did they think he was performing that just a few months later the same FA board, including Mr Ridsdale, forced him to resign.. The government was yesterday told its pensions watchdog was failing to protect company schemes and a radical overhaul was needed to prevent another Maxwell-style scandal. It is supposed to ensure that pensions schemes are run properly. But the committee yesterday said it could not be sure Opra could prevent a similar scandal happening again.