Top 9 Highest Paid Football Managers In African Leagues

Ever wondered who are the best paid managers in African leagues?

African leagues may not have the eyeballs and benefits of major financial resources as the European leagues or clubs, but the progression of the game in terms of development and financial muscle has been evident in recent years, particularly with the North African clubs.

According to report, it was confirmed that the best paid managers are in the North African clubs which without mincing word is a fact, particularly with the ways they’ve dominated the CAF clubs’ competition.

Highest Paid Football Managers In African Leagues

Here are the best paid managers on the continent.

9. Ali Maher – (Future FC, $35,000)

Maher is a former Egyptian player who had a brilliant career before he became a manager. He made several appearances for the Egyptian national team including 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.

He also played for the Pharaohs at the 1996 African Cup of Nations in South Africa where he scored a goal against Cameroon in the group stage.

His currently the head coach of Future FC in the Egyptian league where his take home as gaffer is a mouthwatering $35,000 as one of the highest paid managers on the continent.

8. Abdul Baqi Gamal – (Wadi Degla, $36,000)

Nothing much is known about Baqi Gamal, however, he has been doing a decent job for Degla since the departure of their Chilean manager Mario Salas.

Degla currently plays in the second tier of Egyptian football with the hope of returning to the topflight league soon with how Baqi Gamal has been tutoring the team in the right direction.

Wadi Degla are currently placed fifth in the league and with all indication they’re poised to make a remarkable return to the topflight next season under the tutelage of Gamal.

7. Faouzi Benzarti – (US Monastir, $36,500)

Benzarti’s name will continuously go down in the lore of African football as one of the best managers ever to grace the game. He began his managerial career at the age of 29 after he retired having played for CS Sfaxien amongst other clubs on the continent.

He was chosen as the ninth best African coach of all time in 2013 when he took Raja Casablanca to the final of the FIFA World Cup.

He didn’t only manage at club level, he was also in charge of the Tunisia and Libya national teams at some point and achieved decent success with both teams before he left.

6. Ahmad Samy – (Smouha FC, $38,000)

Samy was appointed Smouha’s manager after he announced his resignation from Tanta SC in the second tier at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Since his appointment as Smouha’s manager, he’s been doing a decent job with the Egyptian side and as such he was rewarded with a new contract set to expire this year.

He may not have won the league for the club, but he is obviously doing well and on the right path with the ways he managed the team from the touchline.

5. Mohamed Mkacher – (Etoile du Sahel, $41,000)

Mkacher is a Tunisian former football defender who had a great professional career before he became a coach.

He became the coach of the Tunisian outfit following the departure of Chabbi who left the club recently.

Mkacher left Al-Ain to takeover Etoile du Sahel and since he took over the team they’ve been experiencing a turnaround in results on the pitch which further justifies the reasons why he was appointed.

He is not just ranked among the best paid managers on the continent for nothing, he’s been doing a brilliant job with the Reds.

4. Takis Gonias – (Pyramids, $50,000)

Gonias may be a European coach but he is well-known on the continent having worked with Wadi Degla before.

After his retirement as a professional player, he worked as a football commentator for Greek television, while also playing golf professionally in Glyfada, Athens.

He returned to the dugout in 2013 when he was in charge of Glyfada and thereafter with Kallithea in the second tier of Greek football in 2016.

His appointment as Wadi Degla coach was the first job he took over on the continent of Africa, after he left he was appointed as the manager of Pyramids.

3. Jesualdo Ferreira – (Zamalek SC, $50,00)

The veteran Portuguese boss is a well-renowned tactician who has managed top side on the continent before he pitch his tent with one of the most decorated club in Africa.

Having arrived with a proactive strategy based on a high-defensive line approach, Ferreira changed his formation to 3-4-3 and adopted a more conservative approach which in return produced the results he wanted.

Before the appointment of the veteran Portuguese tactician, Zamalek SC has been behind Al-Ahly in terms of winning the league but since he took over the club has been more competitive on the field and particularly won the league.

2. Stuart Baxter – (Kaizer Chiefs, $55,000)

Baxter is an experienced manager who has managed at different levels of the game. He didn’t only manage at the club level alone, he also managed at the national level with South Africa and Finland.

Having left Chiefs in 2012 he returned for a second spell as head coach in 2021 and took the team to the final of the CAF Champions League for the first time in the history of the club which they lost to Al-Ahly.

With what he’s been able to achieve so far with the Amakhosi he ranks as one of the most paid coaches in African leagues.

1. Marcel Koller – (Al-Ahly, $157,000)

The record African champions Al-Ahly announced the appointment of the Swiss manager as the club’s new head coach on a two-year contract following the departure of Ricardo Soares who was dismissed after just two months.

He has previously managed Grasshoppers, FC Köln, the Austria national team, and VfL Bochum.

Following his appointment, he became the third managerial appointment the ten time African champions have made in 2022.

When South African Pitso Mosimane was fired in June 2022, native Samy Komsan was in charge on a caretaker basis for 16 days before Soares came in and was later dismissed after just two months.

This article was updated 1 month ago