Sanna is top Gambian earner in MLS

Sanna Nyassi

Gambia international Sanna Nyassi is the highest paid Gambian football in the Major League Soccer, according to a players’ union release.

Gambian footballers earn some of the lowest salaries in the United States according to the MLS players’ union and as it does every year, the Major League Soccer Players’ Union has released 2013 salary information for every single player in the top flight with Sanna Nyassi being the highest paid Gambian footballer.

Sanna, who plays for the Montreal Impact is the only Gambian with a six-figure pay earning a base salary of $140,000 and a guaranteed compensation fee of $147,625.

Sanna’s twin brother, Sainey, who plays for New England Revolution, makes a base salary of $88,200 with a guaranteed compensation fee of $94,950.

Defender Mamadou ‘Futty’ Danso of the Portland Timbers nets $83,000 while Vancouver Whitecaps’ teenage striker Kekuta Manneh is paid a base salary of $55,000 and a guaranteed compensation fee of $84,500.

Real Salt Lake’s Abdoulie ‘Kenny’ Mansally, who is the lowest paid Gambian in the MLS, rakes in a base salary of $50,000 with a compensation fee of $52,000. The lowest earners in the Major League Soccer make a base salary of $35,000.

Nigeria striker Obafemi Martins is the highest paid African player as well as the top earner for Seattle Sounders with a base salary of $1.6million, which places him fifth on the 2013 MLS money list.

Robbie Keane of Los Angeles Galaxy is the highest earner with a $4million salary this season. Second on the list is ex-Arsenal star Thierry Henry, who earns $3.75million. Another New York Red Bull star Tim Cahill is next with a base salary wage of $3.5million and fourth on the highest paid players list is Los Angeles Galaxy’s Landon Donovan who scoops in of $2.5million.

About the Major League Soccer Players Union

The Major League Soccer Players Union serves as the exclusive collective bargaining representative for all current players in Major League Soccer. Formed in April 2003, the Union ensures protection of the rights of all MLS Players, while also promoting their best interests.

In 2004, the Union and MLS signed the first ever collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) covering MLS players, which ran through January 31, 2010. After negotiating with MLS throughout 2009 and 2010, on March 20, 2010 the Union and MLS agreed to a new CBA, effective February 1, 2010 and running through the 2014 season.

The new CBA provides significant benefits for MLS players. In building upon the 2004 CBA, the 2010 CBA increases salary budgets by over 34% and minimum salaries by more than 42% over the five year term, maintains continued 100% fully-paid health insurance benefits and increased retirement contributions from the league, while also dramatically increasing the number of players with guaranteed contracts.

In addition, the CBA increases player movement rights, provides limitations on the number of unilateral options in a player’s contract, and provides an expanded role for an independent arbitrator to hear disputes between MLS and players. MLS and the Union also negotiated a new Group License Agreement with the league. The revenue from this agreement allows the Union to keep the dues it charges to players at a level that is among the lowest in U.S. professional sports.

Player Salary Information

In the survey, all player salaries are broken down into two numbers.  The first is the player's current base salary. The second is characterized as annual average guaranteed compensation. The annual average guaranteed compensation number includes a player’s base salary and all signing and guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player’s contract, including option years.

For example, if a player has a base salary of $50,000, has a two-year contract with two one-year options and received a $10,000 bonus when he signed, his average annual guaranteed compensation would be $52,500 (base salary plus signing bonus ($10,000), with the signing bonus divided by the number of years covered by the contract (4).

The average annual guaranteed compensation number also includes any annual marketing bonus to be received in the current year and any agent’s fees annualized over the term of the contract. The average annual guaranteed compensation figure does not include performance bonuses because there is no guarantee that the player will hit those bonuses.

These figures include compensation from each player’s contract with MLS.  They do not include any compensation from any contracts with individual teams or their affiliates.

Source: Gambian Football