The Europa League final was a well-fought battle between two distinguished sides. Liverpool took the lead early on, but ultimately succumbed to a persistent Sevilla who claimed their third straight title.
Nobody likes to lose a final, but the financial connotations that accompany Liverpool’s Europa League shortcomings are all the more worrying.
The modern game is fueled by financial incentive and Liverpool’s failure to capitalise on their half-time lead will have a serious effect on their financial situation.
Immediately, there is the difference in prize money. The Europa League has an interesting pay structure for the teams that compete in it; teams receive incremental payments as they go. The teams that progress the furthest see the most benefit.
There are also other rewards for winning your group and for qualifying in the first place. In this regard, Liverpool aren’t doing too badly.
The difference between winning the cup and finishing second is a little over £2 million; a cool £5.1 million is awarded to the winners while second place is given £2.8 million. This is not a huge issue for a club that deals in revenues of hundreds of millions.
But here comes the sting…
Liverpool have endured a less than prosperous Premier League campaign. The Reds ended up finishing eighth, behind the likes of West Ham, Southampton and Manchester United. That means they will not qualify for Europa or Champions League football next season.
Their only other option was a win in the Europa League, which awards the victor a place in the UEFA Champions League – regardless of a team’s performance in the league. It’s a sort of ‘back door’ into the Champions League.
The monetary incentives that come with the Champions League would have been substantial. In terms of performance-based prize money, had Liverpool won the recent final, they would have received £9.2 million just for participating in next year’s the group stages. Then there is an added £1.1 million for each win in the group stage.
From there they would have received incremental payments for each stage they progressed to – £4.2 million for making the round of 16, £4.6 million for making quarter-finals, £5.4 for making semi-finals, and either £8 million or £11.5 million, depending on whether you win or lose the final.
There’s also the small case of dividing £370 million in the television market pool among the 32 clubs that qualify for the group stages. The money is not distributed equally, but based on a variety of factors to do with viewership, audience and performance.
The last time Liverpool played Champions League football, in the 2014-15 season, they pocketed nearly £17.5 million from the television market pool alone. After being eliminated in the group stages, they also received £8 million in performance-based prizes. They racked up more than £25 million for what was a disappointing campaign.
The last vital piece of hindrance comes in the form of the club’s ability to attract players.
The lost revenue will affect how much money Jurgen Klopp will have when he goes into the transfer window, but it also has to be said that attracting world-class players to a club that doesn’t play in Europe is all the more difficult.
Not only is there a lack of appeal from potential suitors, but clubs in a position like Liverpool often find themselves overpaying in order to secure the transaction.
It can be the difference between paying £38 million for Anthony Martial or securing Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer – appeal is everything.
Luckily for Liverpool, Klopp is still one of the most appealing managers in Europe.
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