Wenger’s $1bn decision proves he’s football’s biggest hypocrite

Analysis

Martin Macdonald | Writer

Content writer covering football, formula 1 and movies

Arsene Wenger might have been the architect of one of modern football’s greatest teams as he led Arsenal’s Invincibles to their last Premier League title in 2004, but the Frenchman should also recognise his part in constructing the downfall of the modern game.

Wenger once lamented the ‘financial doping’ of Manchester City, but now in charge of football development at FIFA, he is playing his role in the increasing oligarchy at the top of the game.

It makes his statements following Arsenal’s victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League all the more hypocritical.

Speaking to BeIn Sports during their coverage of the Gunners’ 1-0 win, he said: "I call the last four of the Champions League turnover of 700 million to 1 billion. And it looks like today, to pretend to win the Champions League, you have Paris Saint-Germain, you have Bayern Munich, you have Arsenal. There are over 800 million turnover. Sometimes, one year, one sneaks in, like Atletico Madrid, they buy well. They have around 550 (million) 600 (million) - or Inter last year.

"But to come back every year, you need a certain consistency. You need to be a certain level to attract the best players now. It is between the turnover needed, you know. Of course, you have some teams who have that turnover, but they are not here. You need to work well as well."

Wenger, though, is part of the problem, not the solution.

In 2025, PSG's revenue was €805.9m, Bayern's was €765.4m and Arsenal's was €716.5m.

For PSG, even without increasing revenue, they are backed by the state money of Qatar and have spent billions on the team over the last 15 years. They hold the record for the two most expensive transfers of all time - Neymar from Barcelona (€222m) and Kylian Mbappe from Monaco (€145m).

In two out of the past three seasons, the Champions League has been won by the richest club in the world, Real Madrid, who became the first football club in history to post revenue in excess of €1bn in 2025, while Manchester City, also backed by state money with Abu Dhabi, won in 2023.

Is Wenger a hypocrite?

Wenger doesn't say if he is happy or unhappy at the richest clubs constantly enjoying the most success, but the fact that he pointed it out raises the issue of hypocrisy.

The former Arsenal boss, in his role as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, was one of the main campaigners for the rejuvenated Club World Cup, which took place in the summer of 2025.

Jurgen Klopp called the expanded Club World Cup "the worst idea ever invented" and in response to that, Wenger said:

"I am going to give a very boring answer to a very interesting question. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I don't share the view of Jurgen Klopp at all.

"I feel a Club World Cup is needed. If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here then 100% of answers would be that they would want to do it again. That's the best answer of what the clubs think of a Club World Cup.

"And the decisive question is do the fans like it or not? We believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher. The answer is there."

Fans, players and pundits all criticised the tournament before and after it took place as it added a summer tournament to an already-stacked calendar amid real concerns about player fatigue.

Clubs themselves were glad to take part due to the money on offer, but the players certainly could have done without it, judging by the number of injuries suffered post-tournament ahead of domestic seasons starting in 2025/26.

European clubs qualified for the tournament based on their performances in the previous four years of UEFA competitions.

Red Bull Salzburg, Chelsea, Man City, Inter Milan, Juventus, PSG, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid qualified.

Big hitters like Barcelona and Liverpool did not take part as the tournament was limited to two clubs per country.

The rich did indeed get richer $1bn was set for the prize pool. European teams earned between $12.81m and $38.19m just for participating, while the following was based on performance:

- Group stage (three matches): + $2.0 million per win; + $1.0 million draw

- Round of 16: + $7.5 million

- Quarterfinal: + $13.125 million

- Semifinal: + $21.0 million

- Finalist: + $30.0 million

- Winner: + $40.0 million

Chelsea defeated PSG in the final and earned roughly $114m through Club World Cup prize money.

The Blues earned a participation fee of $29m, while they made an additional $85.3m through performance prize money.

Their earnings were unsurprisingly the highest of any participating club, with runners-up PSG making roughly $97m.

Wenger may be lamenting the fact that the richest clubs always go the furthest in the Champions League, but his championing of the Club World Cup, which handed hundreds of millions to the already-richest clubs around, should lead to accusations of hypocrisy.

Written by

Martin Macdonald | Writer

Martin Macdonald. a Content Writer for FootballTransfers and FootballTransfers USA, as well as the Business Operations Manager for RealTimes Network, has worked in football reporting for over 15 years, starting at GOAL and Perform Media before moving to RealTimes. He was formerly the Chief Editor of MovieMeter.com and has also written for FightFans, GPFans and MSN.

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