This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the global economy, European football's governing body, UEFA, has come to the aid of its member clubs. In a move aimed at alleviating the financial strains caused by the pandemic, UEFA has announced that it will pay €70.4 million ($75 million) to 676 clubs to send their players to national team competitions.
According to a statement released by UEFA, the decision to make the payments immediately was taken in light of the current crisis and the financial difficulties many clubs are facing across Europe. The payments, which were initially scheduled to be made after the EURO 2020 playoffs, will now be distributed to the clubs as soon as possible.
UEFA has allocated €50 million to clubs that have released players for the 39 national teams not involved in the European Qualifiers play-offs. An additional €17.7 million will be paid to clubs that have released players for the 16 national teams taking part in the European Qualifiers play-offs. The remaining €2.7 million, related to players sent for the playoffs, will be paid after the matches take place in the autumn.
As part of this payment, 676 clubs from the 55 UEFA member associations will receive amounts ranging from €3,200 up to €630,000 for their contribution to the European Qualifiers and the UEFA Nations League for the 2018-20 period.
UEFA has also announced that it will distribute an additional €130 million to clubs to send their players to UEFA EURO 2020, which has been postponed until 2021.
