Professional athletes under the German Football Association (DFB) are set to receive their long-awaited bonuses.
The German national football team has been underperforming in multiple tournaments, leading to financial consequences for the players. The DFB hasn't handed out bonuses for a long time now, and it looks like it might be the same this time around.
The latest major tournaments have been cost-effective for the German Football Association, thanks to the team's disappointing performances in recent years. The federation hasn't had to pay bonuses to its players for quite some time. The last time they did was when the German team won the Confederations Cup in 2017, with each player receiving 50,000 euros.
At the World Cups in 2018 and 2022, as well as the EURO 2021, group stage elimination and round of 16 appearances didn't result in any bonuses. However, the players have the chance to financially reward themselves this time if they win their group.
Five players recall...
DFB business manager Andreas Rettig stated before the tournament that there would be no changes in performance-related tournament bonuses compared to the EURO 2021 and the WM 2022. He added that they had agreed on this with the player council last year. If the team wins against Switzerland tonight (21:00/ ARD, MagentaTV and live on ntv.de*), each of the 26 players in the squad will receive 50,000 euros. Even in the event of a loss, a round of 16 appearance or progression as group runner-up will not result in a bonus, as was the case in 2021.
Five players from the previous DFB generation of 2017, who received a tournament bonus, are still part of the current squad: backup goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, defenders Joshua Kimmich, Benjamin Henrichs, and Antonio Rüdiger, as well as Emre Can.
Bonus payout depends on title win
If the team progresses past the round of 16, each player will receive 100,000 euros, and a semifinal appearance will be rewarded with 150,000 euros. With 250,000 euros, the German vice-European champions will enjoy a vacation, and a victory at the end of the tournament would mean a record bonus of 400,000 euros per player! For comparison, the remaining World Cup winners in the EM squad in 2014, Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, and Thomas Müller, as well as tournament director Philipp Lahm, received only 300,000 euros each.
For the association, it's also about money against the Swiss: A win earns a million euros from UEFA, a draw brings 500,000 euros. For progression, the DFB receives 1.5 million euros, regardless of whether they finish first, second, or third. With potential EURO winnings, Treasurer Stephan Grundwald can already plan on around 12 million euros. The cost of the two group wins and progression is roughly 12 million euros.
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The German national soccer team aims to improve their performance at the European Football Championship 2024, hoping to avoid the financial consequences that come with underperforming, as they've done in recent tournaments. Despite the DFB's business manager's statement about not changing performance-related tournament bonuses compared to the EURO 2021 and the WM 2022, the German soccer team still hopes to earn bonuses, potentially up to 400,000 euros per player if they win the tournament.
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