It’s the talk of the whole footballing world, well at least till some heavyweight fumbles over the weekend; Barcelona are out of the Champions League…again. The Blaugranas will be playing in the second tier of European cup competitions for the second season in a row even after investing in new talents. The situation is not ideal for the club because of their current financial struggles. So, how much money will they be missing out on following their Champions League exit?
Clubs that qualify for the knockout rounds automatically get €9.6M from UEFA, and for a club like Barça, they stand to lose more than that. Big European clubs get some hefty match bonuses which will get even bigger if they win UEFA Champions League knock-out matches. Qualifying for the quarter-finals adds an insured €10.6M to that. Playing in the semi-finals also guarantees another €12.5M plus some impressive match bonuses from UEFA. Playing in the UEFA Champions League final also guarantees €15.5M plus matches bonuses. In total, Barcelona will miss around €30M – €55M in funds and match bonuses. Missing the next round means Barça won’t get the guaranteed €9.6M and bonuses.
However, this is just a sketch of UEFA payments by rounds. Barcelona’s brand will also suffer from playing in the Europa League for two straight years, and that loss is not easily quantifiable.
It is sad turn in Barcelona’s season, but manager Xavi Hernandez is determined to still make the best out of this season. He has urged Barcelona fans to move on.
“I want to thank the fans for their unconditional support. They have shown that since I’ve been here, supporting until the end. It’s a shame we couldn’t do it on the pitch. Bayern were much better. It’s our reality. We have to move on from the Champions League and face the reality.
“We have to be united, face the situation. There are more competitions. I don’t see it as a failure, I prefer to call it a tough blow. People will call it a failure and I understand but we’ve been through everything in this group. A lot of it has been our own mistakes, our lack of effectiveness. It was too late tonight. It’s a cruel way to say farewell, we leave with bad feelings.”
They are definitely going under if they continue like this