US Soccer financials take $6.2m hit for firing Jürgen Klinsmann

• Financials indicate US Soccer paid $6.2m related to firing of Klinsmann

• Klinsmann was fired in November after US team’s poor start in qualifying

• Jill Ellis paid $90,000 bonus for guiding to Women’s World Cup

The decision to fire US soccer coach Jürgen Klinsmann may have been necessary, but it was a costly one.

The US soccer federation incurred a “one-time, non-cash accounting charge” of $6.2m in connection with the sacking of Klinsmann and his staff, according to a document from the 2017 USSF Annual General Meeting that was disclosed on Wednesday by Becca Roux, the interim executive director of the US Women’s National Team Players Association.

The document indicates the current fiscal year is projected to result in an non-operating surplus of $44m favorable to the budget of $26.8m.

That surplus was boosted significantly by the Copa América Centenario hosted in the United States surpassing all financial expectations, but undercut by what’s described as a “one-time, non-cash accounting charge of ($6.2m) related to the MNT coaching staff changes”.

Klinsmann’s base salary was $3,050,813, according to the nonprofit organization’s tax return for 2015-16, which was posted on the USSF’s website on Tuesday, the highest salary in federation history.

That statement also indicated that US women’s national team coach Jill Ellis received $90,000 in bonus and incentive compensation for winning the 2015 World Cup, significantly less than Klinsmann’s $500,000 bonus for leading the men’s side to the round of 16 in Brazil one year prior.

It’s unclear from the documents whether Klinsmann is still being compensated or he was given a one-time severance package. When reached by the Guardian, a US Soccer official said they could not elaborate on the $6.2m figure as it was a personnel issue.

Klinsmann was relieved of his duties in November shortly after the US lost successive games to Mexico and Costa Rica in the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup. He oversaw the national team for 98 matches following his appointment in 2011. His 55 victories, against 28 losses and 15 draws, rank second all time behind Bruce Arena’s 71.

But his record against opponents ranked in the top 20 of Fifa’s world rankings – two victories, eight losses, two draws and a minus-10 goal differential – was the worst in modern national team history. The gulf in class was showcased at last year’s Copa América. Although the US reached the semi-final they were thoroughly outplayed when they came up against the best sides in the tournament, losing 2-0 to Colombia and 4-0 to Argentina.