Champions League final is a filip for European economy

The Champions League final will provide a ?350 million windfall to the battered European economy, a study found. More than 120,000 people are expected to descend on Madrid for the first Champions League final to be played on a Saturday evening. "In difficult economic times, this kind of event provides people with a chance to escape from reality," said Simon Chadwick, a professor of Sport Business Strategy and Marketing at Coventry University in England.

"In addition to that, we will see more travelling fans and one of the reasons is the rescheduling of the game from Wednesday to Saturday evening, when people can move more easily." Last year's final between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome generated ?313m of total revenues. The winner of today's match will gain more than ?120m through increased squad value, season ticket sales, prize money, sponsorship deals and television rights, the study said. The loser may gain ?70m.

The Spanish capital is also set to receive an economic boost of ?50m, slightly higher than Rome last year. Around 170 million fans are expected to tune in to watch on television, eclipsing the audiences of last year's final and of the Super Bowl. * Reuters