THE PRICE OF FAILURE

United stand to lose out on quite a lot of money as a result of being knocked out of the Champions League.

This from the MEN.

United have banked around £4m in UEFA prize money following their group stage successes, but crashing out in the first knockout phase has immediately denied them a definite £1.5m bonanza for taking part in the quarter-finals and a further £1.5m from gate receipts from an Old Trafford tie.

A £2m-plus pay cheque for making the semis has also gone, along with a near £3m if they'd reached the Istanbul final in May, and the possible extra £2m for winning the Champions League.

Another home full house £1.5m for the last four has been wiped from the potential income and the revenue from TV in UEFA's Market Pool has been thrown away.

Last season's winners Porto, who knocked the Reds out in the last 16 a year ago, picked up prize money worth around £8m in the latter stages after their success over Ferguson's side.

Because of England's TV audience pulling power, United still banked a bigger cheque at the end of the competition than Porto, but a second successive financial blow in the Champions League will be worrying the Reds hierarchy, who are on the brink of facing a takeover bid from American tycoon Malcolm Glazer.

The club do not budget on European Cup final success but chief executive David Gill has warned that if early knockouts happened year after year, then the Reds would have to reassess their plans.