Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea pocketed millions for releasing World Cup stars – and even Boreham Wood got cash | The Sun
MANCHESTER CITY earned more from Fifa than anyone else for releasing their players to star in the World Cup – but even National League Boreham Wood got a share of the cash.
Fifa paid out £160million to 440 different clubs around the world for releasing their players for last year's World Cup in Qatar.
English clubs received a total of £29million in compensation, more than any other country, with City top of the table worldwide, earning £3.5million.
While that payment will hardly be noticed in City's huge accounts, the payments for clubs further down the pyramid can make a huge difference.
Especially for the lowest ranked English club receiving cash, Boreham Wood.
The non-league side didn't have any current players in Qatar last winter, but Fifa rewards teams who played a role in the development of players during the qualification period for the World Cup.
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Boreham Wood sold Wales international Sorba Thomas to Championship side Huddersfield Town in January 2021 and therefore benefited from the Fifa payments, earning £24,000.
Huddersfield earned £118,000 for Thomas' role at the World Cup, despite the 24-year-old only featuring late on in Wales' 1-1 draw against the USA, coming on as an injury time replacement for Fulham winger Harry Wilson.
The payments are calculated by how long each player spent at the World Cup, with clubs earning just over £9,000 for each day their man was participating in the Middle East.
Announcing the figures, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that the total compensation figure of £160million will almost double to £304million for the 2026 and 2030 editions of the World Cup.
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Infantino said: "The Fifa Club Benefits Programme recognises the contribution that clubs make to the success of the Fifa World Cup, and this far reaching initiative ensures that Fifa redistributes a portion of the revenues from the competition to the clubs."
After Manchester City, the top English earners were Manchester United, who pocketed £2.5million and Chelsea who earned £2.4m.
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