Germany’s elimination from the preliminary round at the World Cup in Qatar also has financial consequences: In addition to the low income from FIFA, other effects are to be expected.
How much money does the DFB miss?
If they had won the title, the DFB would have received USD 42 million from FIFA, but only USD 9 million due to the loss in the preliminary round. Each additional round would have brought more money. The DFB saves money elsewhere. For a World Cup title, each of the 26 players would have received 400,000 euros, so a total of 10.4 million euros would have been due.
Other losses cannot be calculated in euros and cents: fewer jerseys sold and fewer tickets for the upcoming games are an obvious consequence of the poor performance.
Is the dependency on the World Cup revenue large?
The total income in the last published annual report was around 350 million euros. Winning the world title could have at least increased the income considerably. However, the main pillar of the DFB’s income is sponsorship. Here the sporting appearance could have consequences and devalue the team as a sponsorship area. The food retailer REWE terminated its contract with the DFB at the end of the year – but before the tournament.
Another possible consequence for German football is a general devaluation. Sports economist Christian Müller from the Fresenius University in Cologne said in an interview with the sports show that the preliminary round was also bad for the Bundesliga. After all, the World Cup is a stage for German players and German football. Three weak tournaments in a row also drop the value.
How is the DFB doing financially?
The tax authorities accuse the DFB of tax evasion. A two-digit million additional payment is currently in the room. The DFB therefore had to build up reserves of more than 46 million euros, which will lead to a minus in the double-digit million range in the balance sheet for 2021.