England team to donate millions in Euros prize money to NHS Covid heroes
9 July 2021, 18:59
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."
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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.
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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.
