It may not amount to much in today’s world of footballing millions, but Watford will receive an estimated £178,500 for Ismaila Sarr’s participation in the 2022 World Cup Finals.
FIFA pay clubs around £8,500 per day for each player they have at the tournament, regardless of whether the players play or not.
They also allow for six days of training before the tournament starts, meaning that any player who is selected in their national squad for the finals will have been in attendance for a minimum of those six days, plus 13 days of the knockout phase.
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Therefore, a player who is in their country’s squad and is knocked out in the group phase without actually getting on the pitch will still earn their club £161,500.
As Sarr progressed to the round of 16, and Senegal’s game with England was on December 4, his period of time at the finals amounted to 21 days (unless FIFA allow more for return travel time).
So, 21 days at around £8,500 a day amounts to £178,500 for the Hornets.
As a comparison, Manchester City had 16 players named in squads for the finals, and so far only Ilkay Gundogan of Germany has gone home – City would have received £161,500 for his participation.
The other 15 are still in the tournament, and the earliest any of them can be sent home is this Friday when the quarter-finals start.
That means City are already eligible for payments from FIFA in excess of £3m.
As they have five players in the England squad, should Gareth Southgate’s men make the final then that quintet will have made City eligible for almost £1.5m of FIFA money alone.
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