By Samindra Kunti
July 8 – Les Bleus players stand to receive €300,000 each from the French Football Federation FFF if they win the European Championship against Portugal on Sunday.
The hosts defeated Germany in controversial fashion as referee Nicola Rizzoli blew for a soft home advantage penalty on the stroke of half-time. Antoine Griezmann converted the spotkick with confidence and France grew in the game. In the second half the Atletico striker doubled France’s lead after a chain of German defensive mistakes.
Bonus payments are mostly funded by prize money that UEFA distributes – the total prize money for Euro 2016 is up more than 50% compared with the previous tournament to €301 million.
Every country at EURO 2016 received €8 million as a participation fee. In the group phase a win brought in €1 million and a draw €500,000. UEFA incrementally increased the prize money per knockout phase: €1.5 million in the round of 16, €2.5 million in the quarter-finals, €4 million in the semis. The winner will receive €8 million, the losing finalist €5 million.
In total, a team can earn up to €27 million during EURO 2016. France and Portugal are still in the running for the jackpot.
And so the stage is set for a final between Les Bleus and Portugal at the Stade de France on Sunday in Saint-Denis. Before the start of the tournament, FFF president Noel Le Graet announced that each French player would receive a bonus of €300,000 in case of final victory.
Captain Hugo Lloris and Blaise Matuidi negotiated on behalf of the players with the FFF before the tournament. The FFF has a policy to reserve 30% of UEFA’s prize money for the players. France’s semi-finals victory earned the players a neat €210,000. The German players would have also banked €300,000 if they had advanced to the final and won it.
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