GENEVA: Germany’s World Cup triumph in Brazil was worth its weight in gold not only for Joachim Low’s team but for national champions Bayern Munich writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Bayern reaped $1.7m from the system by which world federation FIFA compensated clubs financially for the ‘use’ of their players during the finals.

The further a team progressed, the more days players were required. Hence Bayern cashed in by providing seven players to the German squad for the entire tournament and 18 altogether.

Runners-up were European champions Real Madrid ($1.29m) followed by Chelsea of the English Premier League ($1.25m).

Altotgether 396 clubs from 57 different national associations’ leagues received pay-outs for the 736 players involved.

A statement from the European Club Association, explaining the distribution system of the agreed $70m, said: “A club’s share of the $70m is calculated by reference to the number of players from a club selected [and] the number of days each player was at the tournament.

“The total amount per player is calculated by multiplying the number of days a player was present by a fixed amount per player per day, which was set at $2,800.

“Of the total amount per player, a pro rata share is then passed on to the club(s) with which a player was registered in the two year period before the final tournament (ie season 2012-13 and 2013-14).”

Emphasising the reliance of the World Cup on good relations between FIFA and the European clubs, the ECA said that 240 clubs of the total of 396 “are registered with a European national association.”

This may be a significant negotiating factor as FIFA seeks to agree out-of-summer dates for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

The millionaires (in US dollars)

Bayern Munich 1,734,367

Real Madrid 1,297,800

Chelsea 1,252,233

Barcelona 1,191,167

Manchester Utd 1,160,367

Napoli 1,100,867

Arsenal 1,081,267

Juventus 1,043,933

Manchester City 1,009,167

Full clubs pay-off list: http://tinyurl.com/qb9y9ug

############