Manchester United will be hit with a £10 million penalty for every time that they fail to qualify for the Champions League under a new agreement with kit supplier Adidas.
There was a time in the past when United also seemed guaranteed to be playing Champions League football every season. Now, it’s a prestigious competition that we spend years chasing to qualify, only to blow it in the group stages as seen earlier this season.
Erik ten Hag’s side had a terrible European campaign this time around, having only accumulated four points from six matches against Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, thereby also missing out on a spot in the Europa League.
It feels like back-to-back Champions League qualification is a long shot for Ten Hag, with United sixth in the Premier League – but there’s a good chance fifth place would be enough to book our place in next season’s competition. Either way, we need to catch up on Tottenham Hotspur and/or Aston Villa.
However, a new 10-year kit deal with Adidas will come into effect in 2025. It is worth £90m per annum, but as part of the agreement, United will take a £10m hit for every season that they fail to qualify for the Champions League, as per The Times.
At the moment, it’s not that big of a concern because United do not receive a financial penalty for one season, but they would for two successive seasons or more. It’s a hole we want to get out of to ensure the Reds are back playing in Europe’s biggest competition every season.
The original 10-year deal with Adidas expires in 2025 and the new one runs until 2035.
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