Arsenal and Manchester City will lose out in revamped Champions League pay-out deal

CHAMPIONS League prize money has changed and it means good news for Manchester United and Liverpool – but not for Arsenal and Manchester City.

From now on pay-outs favour those clubs who have had previous success in the competition.

Uefa bigwigs have decided that the biggest clubs, and especially those that have previously won the competition, have made the Champions League what it is today and should be rewarded accordingly.
So this is good news for Manchester United and Liverpool when they next qualify for the competition.

But for the Gunners and Manchester City, who have never won Europe’s premier tournament, this is a financial blow.

A key figure behind the change is David Gill, the former CEO of Manchester United who was hugely successful alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.

A points system has been suggested to reward previous winners, and those who have recently won the competition and these will be used for both seeding and prize money.

Points will be awarded depending on European triumphs and when they were won – 15 points if within the past five years, 10 points since the start of the Champions League in 1992 and five points for European Cup triumphs before then.

Under that system three-times winners Manchester United would have 25 points and five-times winners Liverpool 30.

Those points would contribute to a club’s overall coefficient, and determine seeding and income distribution.

Up to now Uefa has paid teams reaching the first knockout round £4.7million, £5.1m to each quarter-finalist, £5.9m for each semi-finalist, £8.9m for the runners-up and £12.75m for the winners.

The group stages of the Champions League begin on Tuesday with Arsenal up against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City against Borussia Monchengladbach.

On Wednesday Tottenham play Monaco and Leicester face Club Brugge.

Manchester City were the top earners out of the English clubs last season. Manuel Pellegrini’s side reached the semi-finals  where they lost to eventual winners Real Madrid.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United are not in the competition this season.

At the end of August it was announced that from 2018/2019, the top four leagues in Europe will all have four guaranteed places in the Champions League.