What is the cost of missing out on Champions League football?
The UEFA Champions League title is the crown jewel of trophies at the biggest clubs in Europe. Clubs such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich used their continental success as bragging rights and enticed the best players on the planet. However, it is not only about the pride anymore. It is also about the on and off-field advantages associated with the competition. If top clubs across Europe's top five leagues fail to qualify for the Champions League, the repercussions are immense.
In the case of the Premier League, such repercussions are even starker. It's bizarre to see how ambitions across different football clubs vary even though they play in the same league. The competitive nature of the league offers stark differences in the ambitions of the clubs participating in the league in a given season.
Some clubs just aspire to stay afloat in the Premier League. Clubs such as Southampton and Leeds United would kill for a chance to remain in the English top flight. But for the 'Big Six' of the Premier League, anything less than a finish top-four is seen as a failure.
While the Champions League qualification race for this season is almost over for top clubs in La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, the same can't be said about the Serie A and the Premier League. The likes of Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Liverpool, and Manchester United are not out of the woods as far as UCL qualification is concerned.
Below, we throw light on the cost of missing Europe's premier club competition for such clubs.
Massive financial opportunity losses if top clubs miss out on the Champions League
As per UEFA's 2021-22 financial report seen in the Athletic, close to €3.5billion (£3.04bn; $3.8bn) was generated by all of their club competitions last season. A €2 billion sum was divided among the Champions League participants.
25% was divided equally among the teams that advanced to the group stage. According to the clubs' 10-year performance in Europe, 30% was disbursed. 15% was assigned based on the size of their domestic TV markets. And finally, their performance in the tournament in the given season had an impact on the last 30%.
Simply put, clubs received £13 million just for making it to the group stage of the UCL as per a report by GOAL. They received an additional £2.4 million for each victory in the UCL group stage, while a tie netted them about £800,000.
If the clubs made it to the round of 16, they earned a total of almost £30 million in addition to matchday receipts. They received an additional £9.2 million for advancing to the quarterfinals. And the earnings rose to at least £73m if the club managed to win the tournament.
Even in the average case scenario, top clubs can easily reach the quarter-final of the Champions League if the draw is favorable. Hence, clubs can easily earn close to £39.2m for their performance in the competition. Moreover, clubs can leverage their presence in the UCL to earn extra matchday revenue and strike lucrative broadcasting and sponsorship deals as well.
Failure to attract top talent
Almost every footballer plying their trade in Europe would want to win the Champions League at least once in their lifetime. But, not every club can afford to have the luxury of competing with the top dogs of European football.
Hence, star players who are currently in clubs beneath their station seek transfer to clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, etc. to win the most prestigious European silverware.
For clubs too, it is important to qualify for the UCL regularly because top players would not want to spend their golden years not playing in the competition. The allure of the Champions League can help in attracting top talent across the globe.
Besides, it also helps in retaining the most valuable assets of the squad. Harry Kane, for instance, would be looking to explore his options as per GOAL after a disastrous campaign in which Spurs have failed to qualify for the Champions League. Manchester United require a striker and if the Red Devils manage to qualify for Europe, then it would be much easier for them to pursue Kane.
Staining the clubs' sporting legacy
Athletes get into sports such as football not only to make money but also to create legacies and form dynasties. There is a reason why clubs such as PSG and Manchester City are hell-bent on winning the Champions League. PSG were so desperate to retain Kylian Mbappe that they even rejected a £200m bid from Real Madrid as per ESPN. They knew the importance of the Frenchman for their European aspirations.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola's obsession with the Champions League have reached a certain level. If the Catalan fails to win the UCL during his reign at City, he would be considered a failure.
Hence, if the legacy clubs fail to qualify for Europe's elite competition, it puts a dent in their legacy. They could also lose out on younger fans who have just started following the game.
The clubs' legacy drives their popularity and success in Europe brings more prestige as well as popularity. For all their success in LaLiga, missing out on the Champions League's knockout stage was a huge disappointment for Xavi this season. (as per ESPN) If big clubs fail to qualify for Europe, it will be an even bigger embarrassment.