What do we stand to lose out on after UCL exit?

[red_kaiser]

I don't think we will miss the quality of opposition that we are going to face as there are some seriously strong teams in this competition like Valencia,Villarreal,Athletico Madrid,Roma et al and we can expect some quality additions from CL as well. Also it would be nice to face new European opposition whom we dont get too many opportunities to play against.Anyways since we have already beaten the likes of Barca,Inter,Milan,Juve under Rafa we dont have anything to prove to anyone.

The only serious consideration is on the monetary front but I was wondering if we manage to win the Europa League and then go on to win the Super Cup as well,how much difference would it make to our earnings suppose if we would have made it through to the quarters or semis of UCL?

[coachpotato]

Estimates range from a loss of £21M to £30M but that just might be those in the media who are trying to get rid of the Manager.
Purslow was quoted today as saying it won't make a major difference, perhaps he's got insider knowledge of a big money investment/takeover!!!!
I remember reading that when we won the UEFA cup in 2001, the montary worth was equal to us being in the CL quarter finals, but I don't know if it's proportionally the same now.

[Adryan]

Well, if we go on to win the Europa League and Super Cup, we'll earn more in terms of respect and another trophy to add into the cabinet. Who knows? Stevie and Nando may just run riot in the Europa League.

Better than getting knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League?

[Ross]

And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!

[Paul LFC]

We win the Europa League FA Cup and Uefa Super Cup and a top four finish I'm sure that should give us enough finanaces to cover our Champions League exit.

[fletch_rox]

Getting to the Champions League is 10million straight up. Its something like another 4million I think if you make it out of the groups and each win from then on gains an amount of money so we lose something like a possible 15million I think. If we don't make top 4 in the EPL I think then we will be in serious trouble.

[Cardy]

Maybe them damn yankees will put their hands in their own pockets for once and make up the difference , you've got to laugh or you'll cry.

[hardcoresoldier]

I have copied this excerpt from Wikipedia -

[edit] Prize money
UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.

In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners. [2]

A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2008-09 season, both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who reached the final and quarter-final respectively, earned more than Barcelona, who won the tournament.[3]

[hardcoresoldier]

Another excerpt copied for avoidingthedrop.com - don't know how to insert link so you get that light blue square with the writing in it and the newspaper icon at the top, sorry.

UEFA publishes the monetary breakdown of the money distribution each year in the July edition of their UEFA Direct Magazine (PDF), and the numbers are actually rather interesting. Just for entering the Champions League group stage a team gets 3 million Euros. For getting into the group stage of the UEFA Cup last season teams got €215,000. That’s a massive difference right there, and really means the difference between a smaller team being able to buy 4-5 new players, and only being able to supplement wages for the players.

There is then a participation payout that Champions League teams get, which is €400,000 per match, equaling €2.4 million, assuming a team plays all 6 of their group matches (why wouldn’t they?). However in the UEFA Cup, there is no participation cash, just a performance bonus. CSKA Moscow got €160,000 for winning all 4 of their group stage matches.

Of course though, the Champions League has performance bonuses too, €600,000 per win, and €300,000 per draw. Lucking out and winning a single match in the Champions League nets you more money than all but 8 of the UEFA Cup group stage teams. Of the eight teams who made over a million Euros, four of them came from the Champions League group stages.  The other four were well sized clubs from England, Germany, Italy, and France.

There is also the added factor of drawing massive European teams to your home stadium in the Champions League, which of course brings more revenue. Bringing a team like Barcelona to your stadium is certainly going to give you more ticket revenue than probably any of last years UEFA Cup teams (save for AC Milan).

There is one final monetary payout the both competitions have, and that is the Market Pool. The description of how it’s formulated is a little confusing, but I’m assuming it has to deal with the distibution of TV money and various other things. However it’s dealt out, it’s dealt out in large sums.

PSV Eindhoven, who won 1 match and came in last in their group got €19 million. Don’t let that fool you, because eventual champions Barcelona got just €8 million of the Market Pool money. However, the market pool money only went to the final eight UEFA Cup squads, and maxed out just under €5 million for some clubs.

The final number that sticks out is the overall tally for each competition, Champions League teams made almost €600 million combined last season, while the UEFA Cup teams combined for a meager €37 million.

There are plenty of other numbers there, and feel free to explore the document I posted for more breakdown on the numbers, as it’s a pretty interesting read. The main point here is that there is such an incredible gulf in terms of cash flow between the two competitions that the Europa League seems like a joke. I fully understand the reason Martin O’Neil put out a bunch of second and third team players last season, there was no point in playing matches for such little money when they had a Champions League berth at stake which would have multiplied the money they made last year by about 20x.

While the Champions League is obviously the breadwinner of the two competitions, there shouldn’t be as big of a gulf between the compensation for the two. UEFA Cup (and Europa League) involves a good number more matches and typically a lot more travel since there are a higher number of nations in the competition and they’re more spread out.

I’m not saying the money should be split 50/50 as there aren’t the revenues from Europa League to even justify a split anywhere near that, but you could easily double the payouts given to teams and I doubt many people would really even notice. I wasn’t an advocate for the new way of seeding the final group stage qualifiers the way they are, but looking at the numbers how they are, I very much am.

[macca8]

Liverpool Fanview: Europa League - Worth Winning Or A Waste Of Time?

The morning after the night before, and time for the inquest. The red half of Merseyside awoke today with heavy heads and heavier hearts. Liverpool's ignominious exit from the Champions League last night casts a long shadow across the city on an oddly-bright day. But at the end of the storm....as they say.

Liverpool's fans have long been classed as a knowledgable bunch. Even the harshest critics of the Rafa Benitez regime - Graeme Souness to name but one - have spoken glowingly of the Kop's "patience and understanding" in the face of some woeful results this season.

But what now? Now that they have crashed out of the Champions League, a tournament deeply embedded in Liverpool's history? Is the Europa League - ever the poor relation - adequate compensation for a lapsed membership at Europe's top club?

Goal.com UK asked Reds fans what they made of Liverpool's exit, and their hopes for the rest of the season.

And, whilst every fan shared the disappointment at the Reds' failure to navigate their way out of a tricky but not impossible group, the general consensus is that the Europa League offers a chance to salvage some pride from the fall.

Liverpool won the competition under its former guise, the UEFA Cup, in 2001. That success, masterminded by Gerard Houllier, represented the Reds' ascent back into the realms of European royalty, after a hiatus of almost 20 years.

A repeat of that success this season, it seems, is now the minimum expectation on Merseyside. As one door closes, another opens, according to the Liverpool fans.

Reds fan John, 25, says; "I do think it is worth winning, it will prove we are still a force in Europe, and how far we have come since we last won it."

It is a sentiment shared by plenty of others. Another Red, Kirsty, claims that the Europa League could prove to be "strangely refreshing", and adds that the tournament is "definitely winnable".

Meanwhile, Andy, 24, speaks of how the tournament retains a certain prestige, and is littered with "Champions League sides such as Benfica, Valencia and Shakhtar Donetsk". Winning the tournament, it appears, is high on most Reds fans' shopping list.

They don't all agree of course, Reds season ticket holder Francis is of the opinion that "it is worth concentrating solely on the league now, we need to get in the top four".

He is also nonplussed at the idea of Thursday night European games, and Sunday afternoon Premier League fixtures, claiming that "even if we won the Europa League, it wouldn't be the same as the Champions League, it's a poor substitute."

So what of Benitez? The Spaniard has taken his fair share of criticism for his side's indifferent start to the season, and questions - rightly or wrongly - are bound to be asked in the wake of such an unexpected failure. Nevertheless, it seems that most Liverpool fans remain sympathetic towards the manager, and refuse to contemplate the thought of him leaving Anfield.

Paul Tomkins, author of eight books on Liverpool, and a fierce defender of the Spaniard, is of the opinion that Benitez is a victim of his own success.

"If it wasn't for Rafa taking the team further than expected in Europe over the last five years," says Tomkins, "then there would be no concern."

Tomkins also points out that "Manchester United exited the competition at the same stage in 2005, and won the Premier League the following season", so there should be little reason for Reds fans to panic, although he concedes that a repeat - this season at least - is unlikely.

These points, it seems, are shared across the board. A fan on one Reds forum offers up a staunch defence of the beleaguered Benitez in the face of criticism from some supporters, and it is strong stuff:

"Because of what he [Benitez] has done for this club, you [critical Liverpool fans] have now become spoilt brats. He's given you something you couldn't have dreamed of five years ago, and yet you still want more. Greed, greed and more greed."

Liverpool fans, it seems, have long memories. Memories which stretch back to the dark days of Souness, when European football was a luxury rather than an expectation. Benitez and his side may have failed in this season's Champions League, but their record in recent seasons should afford them some breathing space.

It is this kind of perspective which prevents Reds fans from falling into the knee-jerk trap, and ensures that, even in the Europa League, Liverpool will be able to count on fantastic and unwavering support.

Neil Jones

Goal.com

[hardcoresoldier]

Oops! I forgot, the most important thing we stand to lose out on is, money. As shallow as that sounds, this is what the owners have done to this club.

[chats]

You get more from getting to the Last 16 of the CL than winning the Europa League.

Doesn't include TV revenue though.

[arvindram]

Estimates range from a loss of £21M to £30M but that just might be those in the media who are trying to get rid of the Manager.
Purslow was quoted today as saying it won't make a major difference, perhaps he's got insider knowledge of a big money investment/takeover!!!!
I remember reading that when we won the UEFA cup in 2001, the montary worth was equal to us being in the CL quarter finals, but I don't know if it's proportionally the same now.

I even think they did put some more money into the Europa League this season as they were rebranding

[adammac]

You get more from getting to the Last 16 of the CL than winning the Europa League.

Doesn't include TV revenue though.

It is the tv money you lose out on, the club gets some but it isn't near the amount in the UCL but as far as prize money winning the Europa league is the same as making it to the QF.