€50m Euro pay-day on offer

MANCHESTER CITY’S clash against Tottenham tonight could be worth €50 million to the winners if they progress in the Champions League next season.

Spurs will seal a place in the top four of the Premier League if they win at Eastlands, a draw would still see them in the driving seat, while defeat would hand the advantage to City with a game to play.

“By getting into the group stages of the Champions League you are guaranteed approximately €25 million, if you went on to win it then it’s another €20 million, then each home game generates around €1.5million,” said Alan Switzer, director in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.

“You expect there to be more commercial activity and a feel-good factor that comes when you’re starting to build the club. So you would say it is a minimum €50million.”

City, funded by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s billions, are the league’s biggest spenders and hardly need the extra money.

Both clubs would benefit from the status of being in Europe’s elite competition. For Spurs, it would increase the overall value of the club and would be expected to help with attracting the right sponsor for their shirt next season and for the naming rights of their new stadium.

“It would help their share price,” Switzer added. “And it fits with Spurs’ ambition to move to a bigger stadium. Champions League football would be a huge boost to them commercially.”