GENEVA: Champions League winner Chelsea received €59.9 million ($ 73.1 million) in prize money and was the biggest earner in last season’s competition, UEFA said yesterday.
Beaten finalist Bayern Munich earned € 41.7 million ($ 50.9 million) from the €754 million ($ 919 million) prize fund which UEFA shared among 32 teams playing in the group stage. Bayern got a further € 2.1 million ($ 2.6 million) for playing in the playoff round to qualify for the group stage.
Barcelona, which reached the semifinals, earned € 40.6 million ($ 49.5 million). Barcelona’s quarterfinals opponent, AC Milan, was next with €39.9 million ($ 48.7 million).
Manchester United was sixth with € 35.2 million ($ 43 million) even while failing to reach the last-16 knockout round. It added a further € 1.25 million ($ 1.5 million) from its brief subsequent appearance in the second-tier Europa League.
English clubs are rewarded for valuable national broadcasting deals, which factor into UEFA’s calculations.
Still, United led the prize list with € 53.2 million (then $ 76.7 million) when reaching the final in 2011. Elite clubs can ill afford such a steep drop in earnings as UEFA’s financial fair play rules are phased in, requiring them to break even on their football business.
Last season, UEFA paid clubs a basic € 7.2 million ($8.8 million) for taking part in the Champions League groups, plus results-based bonuses and a share of the pooled broadcasting money.
Dinamo Zagreb was bottom of the earnings table, getting € 8.2 million ($ 10 million) after losing all six matches.
Clubs are set to earn even more for the next three seasons, after UEFA announced that Champions League revenue will rise 22 percent for the 2012-15 commercial sales cycle.
Annual income for the world’s most prestigious club competition will be at least € 1.34 billion ($ 1.63 billion).
The chasm in earnings between the Champions League and Europa League is shown in earnings tables published by UEFA.
Chelsea, Bayern and Barcelona collected almost as much combined as the € 150.4 million ($ 183.5 million) distributed among 56 clubs taking part in the Europa League groups and knockout stage.
Atletico Madrid earned € 10.5 million ($ 12.8 million) for winning the second-tier title, edging Schalke which benefited from its share of the German broadcasting deals.
To boost the Europa League’s status, UEFA and European clubs have agreed on a €40 million ($ 49 million) annual subsidy.
UEFA estimates that the Europa League will be worth € 225 million ($ 275 million) for each of the next three seasons.
UEFA retains around 20 percent of commercial revenues from its club competitions to cover running costs and make solidarity payments to national federations, leagues and clubs.
The 200-member European Club Association lobby group also gets at least € 2.5 million ($ 3 million) annual funding.
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Chelsea tops Champions League prize money list
Chelsea tops Champions League prize money list
Salford ‘way more prepared’ for Man City rematch says manager
- Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City
LONDON: Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City.
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
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