Dean Smith’s bizarre MLS contract clauses including weekly mascot meeting and monthly TikTok after taking Charlotte job
DEAN SMITH may have gotten more than he bargained for after winning the race for the Charlotte FC job.
The former Leicester and Aston Villa manager beat competition from Frank Lampard to become the new manager of Major League Soccer franchise Charlotte.
Charlotte, based in North Carolina, announced Smith by sharing some photos of him signing a contract and posing with a shirt on Tuesday.
However, while his recent managerial jobs have seen him fighting relegation, he will now have to fight to fit a meeting with Charlotte’s mascot into his weekly schedule.
That is according to some strange clauses inserted into his contract.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the bizarre detail under the heading: “With this contract you agree to the following.”
The first three bullet points were nothing to write home about, but the fourth point stipulated that: “Sir Minty is allowed to have a recurring weekly meeting with you”.
The final bullet point revealed Smith would need to agree to do one TikTok a month under discretion of the social media team.
Although, there was also a sentence which added: “Not really, it’s fine”.
Below that it also showed that the so-called contract, described as the “sacred text”, could be won by a fan.
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On his appointment, Smith said: “I’m honored to be appointed as the next head coach of Charlotte FC and cannot wait to start preparations for the 2024 season.
“Throughout the interview process, it was clear that this is an ambitious club with the right ingredients for success and I’m delighted to begin a new chapter in Charlotte.
“This is a unique opportunity to be part of a project with so much potential to take to new heights in Major League Soccer.
“I’d like to thank Mr. Tepper, Zoran, Joe and the rest of the Charlotte FC leadership for entrusting me to lead this team and I look forward to meeting everyone involved with Charlotte FC.”
The club are owned by billionaire David Tepper, who sacked the club’s previous boss despite making the playoffs for the first time in the team’s history.