Finance split for top teams in Europe defended

Manchester United’s finance chief Cliff Baty has warned against a major overhaul of how money from the Champions League and other European competitions is carved up.

Jacco Swart, managing director of the European Leagues group which represents 37 professional leagues across the continent, including the English Premier League, said yesterday that “drastic changes” are needed to the revenue split when the newly-agreed European club competition formats kick in from 2024.

Revenue for the 202427 cycle is understood to have been projected at $5 billion a year (around £4.1bn) and Swart has called for an increased percentage of that to be given in solidarity to nonparticipating clubs, a greater share to the Europa League and Europa Conference League and a change to how money is divided up within the two premier competitions.

Swart called for a reduction in the percentages awarded in the Champions League and the Europa League.

United’s chief financial officer Baty said football’s leaders should not “kid themselves” about where value in the European game was created – by the continent’s top clubs – and that major changes to financial distribution would impact on club sustainability.

“One thing I would say from our perspective is that (the split) gives us a degree of certainty,” he said.

“And whilst I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to give more money (to smaller clubs) the pie is getting bigger – (and) the reason the broadcasters are paying that much money is for the product, frankly at the Champions League level.”