English clubs top Euro 2016 compensation list

Nyon (Switzerland) (AFP) – Liverpool led English clubs in taking the lion’s share of the 150 million euros ($162 million) compensation handed out by UEFA for freeing players for Euro 2016.

Yet while 60 English clubs shared 38.2 million euros ($41.3 million), Icelandic clubs whose country humiliated England at the tournament got just 118,712 euros. Nearly all of their players are with foreign clubs.

Juventus and Liverpool each had 12 players at Euro 2016. The Italian club received 3.48 million euros and Liverpool 3.394 million — more than most of the 54 countries who tried to reach the finals.

Juventus had six players in the Italian squad but also the likes of Paul Pogba and Patrice Evra with France, Sami Khedira with Germany and players with Spain, Croatia and Switzerland.

Liverpool had James Milner, Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge in England’s ill-fated squad. But also Joe Allen and Danny Ward with Wales, Simon Mignolet, Divock Origi and Christian Benteke with Belgium, Emre Can with Germany and Martin Skrtel leading Slovakia.

There was hardly a team at the finals or qualifying that did not have a player in one of the English leagues.

Tottenham Hotspur, who provided 11 players and Manchester United with 10, were third and fourth highest recipients. Spurs got 3.06 million euros and United 2.9 million. 

But even Stevenage in League Two got 8,621 euros.

UEFA said 641 clubs in 54 countries got some kind of reward.

German clubs led by Bayern Munich were the second biggest beneficiaries, though at 18.48 million euros it was less than half the English compensation.

Italian clubs got 15.8 million euros, Spain’s sides 10.4 million, French clubs 7.2 million million, just ahead of Russian sides on 6.97 million.

Portugal beat France in the final, but because most of their players are abroad, their clubs received just 2.44 million euros.

Under a deal with the European Club Association, UEFA set aside 150 million euros for clubs which released players for the Euro finals in France.

Just over 50 million euros was set aside for clubs which released players for Euro qualifiers in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons.

Clubs received a sum for each player released for each qualifying match, and a fixed amount per player for each day the player was at the finals.

In a sign of the growing club power, UEFA has agreed to set aside 200 million euros for the 2020 tournament.

ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “Clubs are investing substantial resources in the development of players, who contribute to the sporting and financial success of national team football.

“Therefore, it is important and fair to recognise and reward the clubs for the release of their players. ECA is pleased that a serious agreement was found with UEFA, which benefits so many clubs from across Europe.”