German coach Daniel Farke missed promotion to the English Premier League with Leeds United on Sunday (May 26, 2024). Southampton FC, on the other hand, managed to get promoted straight back.
Leeds lost the playoff final against Southampton at Wembley Stadium 0-1 (0-1). Southampton, which was relegated along with Leeds in 2023, is returning to the top flight after just one year. Previously, Ipswich Town had achieved promotion after 22 years and former champions Leicester City.
Leeds only hits the crossbar
Former Gladbach coach Farke, who had achieved promotion with Norwich City in 2019 and 2021, took over Leeds at the start of the season. As third in the table, United narrowly missed out on promotion.
Against Southampton, a goal by Adam Armstrong (24th) sealed the knockout, while Daniel James was unlucky shortly before the end when his shot only hit the crossbar (84th).
Southampton wins the “million dollar game”
The decisive match for promotion to the Premier League is often referred to as the “million-dollar game” or “the most valuable game in football”. As sports finance analyst Deloitte once calculated, the jump to the English elite league will equate to an increase in revenue of at least 135 million pounds, the equivalent of 158.5 million euros, over the next three seasons. This amount could rise to 265 million pounds over five years if the club avoids relegation in its first season.
A large part of this comes from television and advertising payments. Each club in the Premier League already receives £31 million from British broadcasting agreements alone. In addition, the promoted team receives around £60 million from international contracts and £1.2 million for each game broadcast live on television.
A financial parachute is provided for relegated teams – which benefited Southampton and Leeds last summer. They will each receive more than 100 million pounds despite their relegation.
