Stoke City have been paid about £150,000 by UEFA for releasing their players to compete in national team competitions, potentially adding to their coffers ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window.
UEFA have confirmed that more than 900 clubs have received payments as part of the Club Benefits Programme. English teams received a total of £40 million for allowing their players to compete in international competitions, with Stoke paid €175,632 (£150,525).
The payments relate to the 2020-2024 cycle of tournaments. The period includes Euro 2024, 2020/21 and 2022/23 Nations Leagues, and 2022-24 European qualifiers – but it does not include the delayed Euro 2020 tournament which took place in the summer of 2021.
With compensation awarded equally to clubs for each player released for a Nations League or European qualifying match, plus a fixed amount per player per day during Euro 2024, UEFA have now confirmed the payments made to 901 separate clubs across Europe, totalling £200m.
All Premier League teams profited from the programme, with the highest earners being Manchester City (£4.44m). Elsewhere in Europe, Real Madrid earned £4.11m and Barcelona pocketed £3.8m.
In the Championship, Blackburn Rovers received €121k, Bristol City €470k, Burnley €796k, Coventry €55k, Derby €120k, Hull €58k, Leeds €574k, Luton €316k, Middlesbrough €139k, Millwall €154k, Oxford €48k, Plymouth €22k, Portsmouth €73k, Preston €150k, QPR €117k, Sheff Utd €289k, Sheff Wed €51k, Sunderland €260k, Watford €500k and West Brom €513k. Swansea got €176k and Cardiff €227k.
It is the kind of money that can make a big difference at this level, where clubs count every penny from FA Cup reward money or pie sold on a match day to try to make inroads into the huge gulf in broadcast revenue compared to the top flight or those in receipt of parachute payments.
The European Club Association said:“The Club Benefits Programme has seen a record distribution of €233m (£199m) to 901 clubs from 55 national associations for releasing players for national team competitions. This substantial increase from the previous cycle’s (2016-2020) €200m (£171m) is the result of the strong and ongoing collaboration between ECA and UEFA, ensuring clubs are fairly compensated for their contribution to national team football.”
The ECA added: “ECA has been instrumental in advocating for increased financial returns to clubs that release players for international duty. This record-breaking distribution highlights the value of strong cooperation between ECA and UEFA in shaping policies that directly benefit hundreds of clubs.”
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