GdS: How the Europa League can help Milan bridge a €100m loss – why the final must be reached
AC Milan will operate at a loss with the Europa League success this season, compared to if they’d qualified for the Champions League and the figures have been looked at.
Not qualifying for Europe’s top competition was always going to affect Milan – that was an unavoidable fact. However, the finances are starting to be looked at with their road to Frankfurt starting tomorrow.
The finances of the Europa League
Gazzetta dello Sport start the piece with a flashback. Against Liverpool in their last first game in Europe, a ticket in the third tier cost €59, which was viewed as extortionate. For the same seat tomorrow, it would cost just €14.
The loss of no Champions League football has already been discussed heavily, but it’s in these figures where the damage is really done.
So, Milan must progress far this season, especially with it being a ‘less noble tournament’. They, alongside Juventus, are the favourites to lift the trophy, so they must at least reach the final to bridge the €100 million gap.
The absence from Europe’s premier competition costs at least €30-35m right now, just on bonuses. The attendance losses count for €15-20m and then performances also equal losses, regardless of what happens.
For a draw in the group stage, you earn nearly as much in the Champions League (€700k) as you would for a win and two draws in the Europa League (€450k for the win, €150k per draw).
Then you have the stage prize money: a €10m loss for reaching the round of 16, another €10m for the quarter-finals, and so on. Winning the Europa League would be worth about €50-60m, a substantial figure.
Had they reached the last 16 of the Champions League, though, they’d have earned €90m. It’s a mountain to climb and even if they reach the top, they’ll still be at a loss.
What Gazzetta do state, though, is that this financial loss can be swallowed. But for the brand, nothing but a win will do. It would be ‘a joke’ to leave the tournament without the trophy.
