England flops laughing all the way to the bank!!

England flops fill their boots: Players will STILL get their six-figure bonuses despite Euro defeat

Last updated at 12:19pm on 23rd November 2007 Comments

England footballers are to receive massive windfalls despite failing to qualify for next summer's European Championships.

In a move which will enrage fans, players can expect to receive six-figure sums despite crashing out of qualifying for the championships for the first time since 1984.

Each player's share will depend on the number of appearances.

Scroll down for more...

Pick-me-up: the pain of defeat is etched on Steven Gerrard’s face at Wembley but the England captain and the rest of the team are set to pocket up to £150,000 each from sponsors for personal appearances

Read more...

• The wally with the lolly: Outrage from humiliated fans as McClaren gets £2.5m after 18 months of failure

The largest sum — believed to be around £150,000 — will be paid to Steven Gerrard who captained England in their defeat by Croatia.

As Liverpool captain Gerrard earns an estimated £120,000 per week.

Former manager Steve McClaren is to pocket around £2.5million, despite failing to lead the team to the Championships.

The money comes from a pool of cash paid into by sponsors such as Nationwide, Carlsberg and National Express which is controlled by 1966, an offshoot of Simon Fuller's 19 management company.

Scroll down for more...

Payout: Former manager Steve McClaren is to pocket around £2.5million, despite failing to lead the team to the Championships

The FA said the money was in return for personal appearances.

Since February, the squad have donated their £1,500 match fee to charity and will do so until 2010, raising an estimated £1 million.

Today, supporter groups slammed the payments and accused players of "living in a bubble".

Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, said "Perhaps the players should think about whether it's proper to take this cash for failing.

"One of the knock-on effects of not qualifying is that the FA will have less money, which means less funding for grassroots football. Maybe they should give their cash to charities who support that."

He added: "Some of these huge sums of money being given for failure will stick in the throats of many supporters.

Scroll down for more...

Shocker: England goalkeeper Scott Carson fails to stop the opener

"It's another indicator of the huge gulf between the world of top footballers and that of ordinary supporters."

Mark Perryman, a spokesman for the England Fans supporters' group, said: "They're taking this money when for the 90,000 people in Wembley and millions of people next summer is ruined. The fans watch these players earning more in an hour than they earn in a week."

The FA said it was paying no bonuses to players. A spokesman said: "We don't discuss player payments and wouldn't make any comment on any potential Euro bonuses."