London, May 11 (BNA): Champions League winners Chelsea topped UEFA’s prize pool for last season, while Juventus and Barcelona were far behind in a campaign in which they spearheaded efforts to launch a more lucrative Super League.
Chelsea made around 120 million euros ($126.5 million) out of a total of 1.9 billion euros ($2 billion) shared by 32 teams in the Champions League.
That was before Manchester City beat the final, which took in just over 119 million euros ($125.6 million), according to the Associated Press.
At the bottom of the list – at least 35 million euros ($37 million) behind Chelsea and Man City – Barcelona and Juventus were the traditional high-income earners.
Both teams lost in the last 16 and the UEFA list shows that Barcelona received less than 85 million euros ($90 million) and Juventus less than 83 million euros ($88 million).
The two clubs, along with Real Madrid, then led a group of 12 elite teams in a bid to break away from UEFA and launch their own Super League, which was announced one month after they were eliminated in the Champions League.
The project aims to give the founding members more money and secure their place in the competition even if the team is understated.
They said the project was essential to the struggling football industry after several clubs reported record losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other nine members of the Premier League, including Chelsea and Man City, quickly abandoned the project amid a backlash from fans, national governments and UEFA, leading to its collapse within 48 hours.
Equal entry fees to the 32 UEFA Champions League clubs, match score bonuses, a share of the local broadcast deal and a weighted payment based on the historical record in UEFA competitions are paid.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who reached the semi-finals, earned nearly 110 million euros ($116 million) last year, and are the only other two clubs to win nine figures from UEFA.
The prize money arrangement for Juventus and Barcelona will look similar this season.
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