Despite Loss To Real Madrid, Manchester United Will Bank $51M From UEFA

ManU has "missed out on a bumper European payday," but its Champions League exit is not as costly as last season's failure to make it out of the group stage, according to the MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS. The club will bank £34M ($51M) from UEFA compared to £30.4M ($45.8M) last season, but if Alex Ferguson's side had gone all the way to the final it "could have expected" to top the £56M ($84.3M) mark. However, the financial implications "are not limited to media income from UEFA." A victory in the Champions League "can also trigger sponsorship bonuses and increase the commercial value of a team." In terms of the TV money and bonuses from UEFA, "the value of getting to the final is huge." Last year's winners Chelsea received £51.7M ($77.9M) from UEFA  which "allowed the club to record a small profit for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era." ManU's "comparative failure last season saw the club's revenues fall for the first time since the Glazers' takeover" (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 3/6).