It’s going to be a long week waiting for the kick-off of the Europa League final to come around, one of, if not the biggest game in most of our lifetimes and, for once, we are actually going to be able to enjoy the build up seeing as the league is all but gone.
The game itself is of huge importance, not just for the glory of winning a second European trophy but because of the additional benefits that beating Eintracht Frankfurt would bring – automatic qualification to the Champions League group stages.
We have all read over the years how much money that would bring in to the club but, speaking to Football Insider, finance expert Kieran Maguire has said that there will be even more on the line:
“You get £1.5m for participating in the Super Cup, which they will do if they win the trophy.
“You will also get bonuses from sponsors. So that might take you to £6m or £7m. These figures are all significant.
“You then get an extra £30m from being in the Champions League next season, so overall we’re talking about a £40m football match.”
We tend not to think about the finer points of merchandise or advertising contracts but Maguire is right, not only that but we will be able to demand more money in future deals because of our potentially elevated profile and that’s without taking into consideration special edition merchandise like we saw from last season’s title win.
First and foremost, the opportunity to make history is all that matters but, the opportunity to not only match but surpass the money our city rivals stand to make next season is certainly an added bonus, I’ve never seen a fan base so angry at winning a league title but this could be too much for them to take.