England team to donate millions in Euros prize money to NHS Covid heroes

9 July 2021, 18:59

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

England's football players plan to donate millions of their Euro 2020 prize money to the NHS heroes of the coronavirus pandemic.

Their contribution will be made to NHS charities after the conclusion of the tournament, of which the winner will be decided when the Three Lions face Italy on Sunday.

In May, the team shared a statement in which they said they would donate their match fees to charity.

"Following positive discussions with the FA, the England senior men's squad are pleased to confirm that a significant donation from their international match fees will be made to NHS Charities Together via the #PlayersTogether initiative," it read.

"This contribution will be taken from a fund already set aside to support a variety of worthy causes using all match fees collated since September 2018."

Read more: Fan fired after being caught on TV pulling sickie to go to semi-final

Read more: Co-op, Lidl and Tesco to change opening times for Euro 2020 final

England's progress in major tournaments since winning the World Cup in 1966

But if England beat the Italians at Wembley this weekend, they could earn £24 million for the Football Association (FA).

From this pot, the 26-man squad is entitled to 40 per cent of the winnings - which amounts to roughly £9.6 million - but they have decided that the money will instead go to the nation's NHS heroes.

If they finish as runners-up, they will bring in £21.4 million for the FA. However, they still plan on giving their share to the National Health Service.

Details of the planned donation are yet to be finalised and could change due to tax complications associated with payments to those in the national team.

Read more: Fan who skipped semi-final to donate stem cells given tickets to final

Exclusive: Tory MP to boycott Euro 2020 final over players taking the knee

Boris Johnson hails England team for victory over Denmark in the Euros

It comes after players such as Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford were praised for their fundraising and charity efforts during the coronavirus crisis.

Henderson, the England and Liverpool midfielder, and the captain of the 19 other Premier League clubs united to raise private donations for those on the front line of the health service and other charitable causes.

The Three Lions will be playing in their first major international final in 55 years on Sunday.

A victory would see England win their first-ever European Championship.

However, their Italian opponents will prove to be difficult to overcome, having won the Euros once in 1968 and the World Cup four times, most recently in 2006.