If the victory of the Blues in the semi-final against Morocco is tasty for millions of French people, it is also very juicy for the French Football Federation (FFF). The qualification of the French team in the final of the 2022 World Cup indeed ensures at least 30 million dollars (28 million euros) to the French Football Federation, paid by Fifa. But a new coronation of the Blues, against Argentina on Sunday in Doha, would give would be even more profitable since 42 million dollars (about 40 million euros) are promised to the winner of the World Cup. Almost ten million more than during the previous one, which took place in Russia, where the FFF had pocketed 34 million dollars.
In total, 440 million dollars distributed to the federations
As usual, Fifa will redistribute part of its profits to the competing nations of the World Cup. While it should reap nearly 7.5 billion in profits, the International Federation is preparing to pay nearly 440 million dollars (411.80 million euros) to the 32 federations. For example, 27 million dollars are promised to the winner of the “little final” (the one who finishes third in the competition), against 25 to the team who loses it (and who will be ranked fourth). As for the federations whose team has reached the quarter-finals, they will receive 17 million dollars, 13 million for the eighth. While elimination in the group stage brings in nine million dollars.
In addition to the prize money, each participating federation receives 1.5 million dollars to cover their costs related to the preparation of the competition. Between the victory of the Blues in 1998 and that of the 2018 generation, the bonus for success has been multiplied by six. It will be seven, on the occasion of the World Cup, in Qatar, going from 7 million for the winning federation to 42 million today.
Each participating federation therefore receives an endowment from Fifa, more or less high depending on its course. Whatever happens, the FFF will win financially from its tournament in Qatar. And it is well beyond its expectations, since in its provisional budget for the 2022-2023 financial year, presented to the General Assembly in June, the body led by Noël Le Graët had integrated an elimination of the Blues in the quarter-finals .
30% redistributed to players
The federations are then free to choose the amount distributed to the players, as a reward. According to the agreements established between the French Football Federation and the players of the France team, 30% of the Fifa allocation will be distributed equally between the players and the four members of the technical staff, i.e. nearly 400,000 euros per person in the event of of title. In 2018, the rule was the same. All the players had received 400,000 euros each. They had donated all of these bonuses to the association “Premiers de cordée”, which carries out awareness-raising actions on disability and offers sports initiations to disabled children.
“We are aware of being important for French football. We know the impact that it has, not only in terms of image, but also at the financial, economic level”, explained on this subject Raphaël Varane, vice-captain of the Blues, in recent days in Doha, while stressing the importance of quickly evacuating the negotiation of bonuses before a major competition. “As vice-captain, we have this kind of additional responsibility and we try to settle them as soon as possible before the tournament to be ‘focus’ on the pitch.”
As for the FFF, it has already announced that part of its profits paid by Fifa will be directly injected for the amateur world. According to our colleagues from The Team101 million euros will be allocated to “football from below”.
In mid-November, the Blues again promised to donate their bonus to associations. During a press conference in Clairefontaine, the captain of the France team, Hugo Lloris, announced that he did not want to wear a rainbow armband in solidarity with the LGBT community which is the victim of discrimination in Qatar. But he had nevertheless announced that the Blues would speak out collectively against human rights abuses in Qatar, promising to fund human rights NGOs. The financial support promised by the players of the France team will pass through an endowment fund called “Generation 2018”, created in recent months by the 2018 world champions and “intended to finance social impact actions” that are important to them. to heart.