£ 300,000? A MODEST WINDFALL IF OUR BOYS WIN THE CUP
THE £ 7million World Cup bonus deal clinched by the England players this week lost the capacity to shock yesterday when a comparison w i t h c r i cket and rugby s h owed Sven Goran Eriksson’s men to be on a relatively modest windfall.
Sources at the Football Association disputed the claim that England are on £ 300,000 a man to lift the trophy in Berlin on July 9, insisting that the final payout would be closer to £200,000. But even if the higher figure i s c o r r e c t , it compares favourably with the £ 70,000 awarded to England’s rugby heroes for winning the 2003 World Cup and the £ 65,000 handed over to Duncan Fletcher’s men for regaining the Ashes. Given the proportionate wealth of the three sports, the cricket and rugby teams have more reason to celebrate.
Though it offends our natural sense that playing for one’s country is an honour that requires no extra reward, there is no major nation in international sport who refuse to offer players a slice of the bonanza. It will have hurt English cricket far more to write 16 cheques for £65,000 than it will the FA to share a £50m profit with their household names, many of whom can earn the World Cup bonus in a fortnight at their clubs.
Eriksson’s players maintain that the World Cup jackpot m e r e l y e n s h r i n e s t h e principle that employers and sponsors should share some of their good fortune with the performers. With this early resolution, both sides have at least ensured that wrangles over money will not disfigure England’s preparations. In rugby, Sir Clive Woodward once slipped a note under the doors of his players warning them that they would be sent home unless they withdrew their threat to strike for more loot.
All this will raise a smile among the class of 1966, who received a £1,000 thank-you, which was taxed at 80 per cent. Bobby Moore and others fought for an increase, but only the southern-based players were given an extra dividend. Told yesterday about the current England team’s bonus scheme, Alan Ball reflected, ‘I would chew a few legs off to get that.’
PAUL HAYWARD