Asian Champions League: A-League clubs hunting potential $4.2 million payday

INCREASED prizemoney has ensured the 2016 Asian Champions League will be the most profitable yet, with A-League clubs to hunt a massive payday.

INCREASED prizemoney has ensured the 2016 Asian Champions League will be the most profitable yet.

But, in what would have been a massive publicity boost in Australia for Asia’s most prestigious club competition, Tim Cahill’s Shanghai Shenhua spurned the chance to join Melbourne Victory in the competition after losing the Chinese FA Cup final late on Sunday night.

Shanghai was on the brink of securing a spot in the ACL for the eighth time after drawing the first leg of the cup final away to Jiangsu Sainty last week.

But after scores were again locked at 0-0 after 90 minutes in Shanghai, it was Jiangsu which found the all-important goal with just four minutes left in extra time.

Western Sydney Wanderers pocketed $1.5m (USD) after its historic march to the 2014 ACL title. The team it defeated, Al-Hilal, was rewarded with $750,000.

But the Asian Football Confederation has announced that prize money for the reaching the final will double from next year, meaning a $3m carrot is on the line for Victory and Sydney FC, as well as Adelaide United should it qualify through the playoffs.

Though the figures are not likely to be confirmed until next Thursday’s group stage draw in Kuala Lumpur, the AFC also said there will also be “significant increases” for teams who make the knockout stages.

For this year’s competition, teams were given travel subsidies of $34,200 (USD) for each away game in the group stage — a figure that increased to $60,000 by the final — and were awarded $40,000 for each group stage win and $20,000 for each draw.

The reward for making the knockout stage was $50,000, quarterfinals $80,000 and semis $120,000.

Guangzhou Evergrande, winners of this year’s ACL after defeating Al-Ahli of the United Arab Emirates, is China’s other direct entrant.

Gamba Osaka joined Sanfrecce Hiroshima as the second of three direct Japanese entrants on Saturday with its J-League semi-final win over Uruwa Red Diamonds.

2016 ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

December 10, Kuala Lumpur

Originally published as Asian Champions League: A-League clubs hunting potential $4.2 million payday