Sunpine matches UEFA's contribution to Piteå IF

Victory can become a loss, the Champions League is a financial challenge for Piteå IF. Now sponsor SunPine is matching UEFA's contribution - giving the club SEK 250,000 in extra support.

– We do it because reality is unreasonable, says Magnus Edin, CEO, SunPine.

Piteå IF has qualified for next year's UEFA Champions League thanks to a win in the Swedish women's league. In terms of sport, it is a huge success, but financially it involves taking a risk.

– We have decided to match UEFA's contribution of 250,000 kronor to help Piteå IF afford to play in the Champions League. We are doing it because the reality is unreasonable. And we hope more companies do the same. We will do what we can to ensure that Piteå If's victory does not become a loss.

If Malmö FF had qualified for the group stage of the Champions League, the club would have received a financial contribution from UEFA of 221 million kronor. The corresponding figure for a women's football team is 250,000 kronor.

221 million is more than 250,000. Unreasonably much more.

It is just as bad if we look at the national teams. When a male player is selected for a national team match, it means that the club receives compensation of 72,000 kronor per day. For a female player, exactly 0 kronor per day is paid. Yet both UEFA and FIFA claim that they are “investing in women’s football”.

Participation in the UEFA Champions League can, in the worst case, be a financial burden for Piteå IF. If the club is drawn against a team from Russia or Ukraine in a round of 32, for example, the cost will be in the order of SEK 250,000-300,000, which should be compared with the contribution from UEFA of SEK 250,000. In order to win, Piteå IF needs to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

– We at Sunpine have long supported women's sports and female athletes in various ways. That is why we have decided to contribute as much as UEFA does ahead of the Champions League. Sunpine will therefore make a contribution to Piteå IF of SEK 250,000, says Sunpine's CEO Magnus Edin. And we hope that others will also want to contribute to at least slightly correct the unfair and unequal conditions in football.