Nike paid the FA £10M for England reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup.GETTY IMAGES
England’s players "are at odds with the FA" over their commercial fees, with a "new dispute emerging over whether they are entitled to a share" of a £10M ($12.8M) bonus paid by Nike for reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals, according to Matt Hughes of the LONDON TIMES. A group of six agents representing "the bulk" of Manager Gareth Southgate's squad rejected an offer of a new commercial deal from the FA in a meeting at Wembley last Thursday before England’s 3-0 friendly win over the U.S. The FA "is seeking to bring the players’ commercial activities in-house," which will require the governing body or the players "agreeing severance terms with 1966 Entertainment," whose contract to negotiate on the squad’s behalf runs until '30. It is understood that "one of the significant sticking points at last week’s meeting was the FA’s reluctance to pass on a share of bonus payments" arising from its own commercial deals, a "particular bone of contention given the size of the Nike bonus" after England’s run to the semifinals in Russia. The FA "is believed to have offered the players more guaranteed income rather than including them in any future bonus payments" in its proposal, which was rejected by the delegation of agents (LONDON TIMES, 11/20).
