Little Luis change for Jimenez and Cowen

It could be worse - when we put our situation into a global context. This time: our poor Taoiseach's 20% salary cut pales in comparison to a Chilean footballer.

The Evening Herald recently wrote a list of various scenarios for how government could spent the already assigned €24.3bn worth of taxpayer's money that has already been thrown at Anglo-Irish Bank. One such solution was to pay Brian Cowen's €228,000 yearly salary for 219,000 years. Joking or not, it's a scenario that would probably prove equally fruitful.

As we pondered the Herald's report, one unsettling question swirled in our minds - after forcing our dear Taoiseach to take a 20% pay cut last year, our beloved Brian Cowen is only clearing €228,000 a year?! That's less than half the yearly figure Marian Finucane gets at RTE, even though she only does about an hour's work a week and takes 2 months holidays. Poor Brian.

If you think the Taoiseach has it bad, spare a thought for Chilean footballer Luis Jimenez. Like most South American players, Jimenez has a ridiculously complicated dual-ownership deal tied to the first club of his career, Ternana. However, since first joining Fiorentina on loan on June 25 2006, Jimenez' first co-ownership deal was put in place. Now every year on June 25, Jimenez's original side Ternana either extend the 50% agreement with his 'current' club or instead, both sides make blind offers for the player, with the highest bidder claiming the player's remaining 50% rights.

Of course, this was never an issue before, as Jimenez had successful, lucrative periods in Serie A for Fiorentina, Lazio and later Inter Milan. The latter was where the Chilean began receiving a seven-figure pay packet, yet Luis still had to live with the inescapable fear that on June 25 it could all be taken away from him. On June 25, 2010, that's exactly what happened.

Unfortunately for Jimenez, after a fruitless spell on loan to West Ham as an Inter Milan last year, top European sides such as Villareal and Schalke 04 both withdrew their initial interest in the player, leaving Inter and Ternano to blindly bid the player. Surprisingly for Jimenez, Inter lost, and the Chilean international's salary was reverted from €1.1m to €110k. Yikes.

There was some glimmer of hope for Jimenez' future, as Serie A relegation candidates AC Cesena picked up the player before the 2010/11 season's transfer window slammed shut. A dejected Jimenez hardly thrilled Cesena fans with his first interview, claiming 'It is not one of the teams which I aspired to join, but at least it allows me to stay in Serie A and they are paying what was asked of them'.

So dearest Brian, there's no need to feel so bad. It could be a lot worse.