Man City land huge cash windfall from UEFA as chief hails 'fantastic' scheme

 Manchester City have received a £5.17million windfall thanks to a 'fantastic' scheme from UEFA. The European football governing body have continued a programme which rewards clubs whose players represent their countries.

Real Madrid (£4.1m) and Inter Milan (£3.9m) were next-biggest beneficiaries from UEFA's pot of £200m, an increase on the last four-year cycle. The money was split across a total of 901 clubs from all 55 of UEFA's member associations for releasing their players for national team competitions.

These included the 2020-21 and 2022-23 Nations League campaigns, the European Championship qualifiers between between 2022 and 2024, and Euro 2024 itself. Clubs received an equal share for each player released per Nations League and Euros qualifier. There was also fixed amount per player per day during the tournament in Germany.

One side from the English 10th tier, Yorkshire Amateur, received a massive £6,200 but it was City who were given the biggest portion. "It is fantastic to see clubs of all sizes and levels, across the entire football pyramid, receiving financial rewards for their vital role in developing players who contribute to the success of our national team competitions - including the highly successful UEFA Euro 2024 final tournament," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin commented.

"Every success of our competitions is a shared one, and this benefits programme is another testament to that principle ... When football thrives, everyone benefits."

City's finances remain a hot topic, as their legal battle with the Premier League goes on. League chiefs have levelled 130 charges at City, who've been accused of breaching financial fair play rules between 2009 and 2018.

The club have vehemently denied all of the charges and insist that they have a 'comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence' that proves their innocence. In February, City manager Pep Guardiola said: "In one month, I think there will be a verdict and a sentence. After that, we will see my opinion of what happened so far."

We're yet to receive a verdict, however, with the saga currently expected to bleed into the new season. For now, City are focussing on qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup.

Guardiola's side host Aston Villa on Tuesday in a six-pointer. The Villains would move into fourth place with a win while City can go up to third.

"Every point, every game counts," Guardiola affirmed. "Hopefully [our fans] can help us [from] minute one. Don't wait. Sometimes we are sloppy, sometimes we are not playing well but it's now we need them - we need them desperately, to support us, to make noise and be there all the time, because it's a final, absolutely it's a final for us."