The financial consequences of Manchester United losing in the Europa League final should be painful and affect the club for years.
It was a zero-sum game Tottenham won 1-0 on Wednesday: Winner goes into the Champions League — plus the UEFA Super Cup game in August — and loser is out of Europe next season and gets nothing.
United lost a drab match despite, as soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire noted on Thursday, having higher revenue than Tottenham and spending 64% more on wages for a more expensively acquired squad of players. Tottenham also beat United twice in the Premier League this season, and in the domestic League Cup.
“If I was teaching this at management school (I) would conclude that there is something seriously wrong with the culture of the organization … which is set by senior management,” Maguire wrote on X.
Beyond the loss of sporting opportunities and reputational prestige, the club owned by the Glazer family from the United States and British billionaire industrialist Jim Ratcliffe has short and longer-term financial hits ahead.
Tottenham players left without medals after Europa League final victory
No Champions League play next season is an instant loss of at least 80 million euros ($90 million), and approaching 150 million euros ($169 million) for a run deep into the knockout stage.
United also misses out on the 4 million euros ($4.5 million) Tottenham will get from UEFA for playing the Super Cup against the Champions League titleholder — either Inter Milan or Paris Saint-Germain — on Aug. 13 at Udinese’s stadium in Italy. The winner gets a bonus of 1 million euros ($1.1 million).
After failing to qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup — which has a $1 billion prize fund from FIFA and should pay more than $100 million to a successful European team — United is now far behind in qualifying for the 2029 edition.
European teams qualify for the FIFA event only by being in the Champions League, either winning the title or building consistent results over four seasons.
United already will miss the entire first half of the 2024-28 qualifying period, and it is hard to project the team that last won the Premier League 12 years ago both qualifying for and then winning a Champions League title within three years.
One clear solution to growing financial issues and the ability to comply with Premier League rules is selling the club’s best players, like captain Bruno Fernandes and out-of-favor forward Marcus Rashford, or its homegrown prospects. Some already earn high wages which are problematic for potential buyers.
A talent drain risks speeding a spiral of decline on and off the field if coach Ruben Amorim is left trying to rebuild with a weaker pool of players.
While United is still one of Europe's highest-earning clubs, UEFA's annual research shows its advantage is in decline, even though revenue was a club record 661.8 million pounds ($887 million) last year.
A UEFA chart showed that over five years from 2019-24 — pre-COVID-19 through to the post-pandemic recovery in the soccer industry — United’s revenue grew at a slower rate than all of its biggest English rivals except Chelsea.
Europa League final: It's all or nothing for Man United and Tottenham
Revenue now risks dropping, and another income cut is coming from falling to 16th in the Premier League standings with one round left on Sunday.
Premier League prize money based on final position in the standings means dropping from eighth a year ago to 16th is a difference of 22 million pounds ($29.5 million) less.
It all adds up to another loss-making season after a 113.2 million pounds ($152) deficit last season. The three previous years totaled losses of 236 million pounds ($316 million).
The league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) allow clubs to lose 105 million pounds ($140.7 million) over a three-year period or face sanctions, though United can cite some exemptions.
Ratcliffe, who has operational control despite being a minority shareholder, is already the public face of unpopular cuts to jobs and staff benefits, and rising ticket prices for fans.
“This is not sustainable," the club told fans in January, "and if we do not act now we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP (financial fair play) requirements in future years and significantly impacting our ability to compete on the pitch.”