Chelsea’s Carabao Cup Opponents Barrow Offered Bigger Bonus to Lose Than Win
The Carabao Cup has been marred by controversy after it emerged that Barrow, Chelsea’s opponents in the third round, have been offered a bigger bonus to lose the match than to win it. The League Two side drew the away tie against the Premier League giants, and while the fixture is seen as a David vs Goliath battle, the bonus scheme has raised serious concerns over the integrity of the competition.
According to a report by The Telegraph, Barrow players will be paid £1,000 each if they lose the third-round tie, while a significantly smaller £250 bonus will be awarded if they manage to pull off an upset win. This shocking revelation has sparked outrage among football fans, with many questioning the motives behind the bonus scheme.
The EFL are said to be annoyed by Barrow’s bonus scheme, which technically does not breach regulations, but the governing body is expected to ask the club to explain themselves given the fact that this is the first time a club has offered a bigger bonus to lose a match than to win it.
Barrow sources close to The Telegraph have confirmed that the bonus sheet contains several errors that will be corrected and that this has been communicated to the EFL. All player bonuses at the club are agreed at the start of the season before being officially submitted to the EFL.
The bonus scheme for the EFL cup reportedly offers a £250 to each player in rounds one to five, but the scheme also offers each player a bonus of £1,000 if they lose to a tie to Premier League club in the third round or later. Should the League Two team face a Championship club and lose, they would also earn £750 as opposed to the smaller win bonus.
Even if they somehow went the whole way and won the competition, players would only be granted a bonus of a further £1,000. This raises questions over the motivation of the players and whether they will be incentivized to put in a performance that benefits their club or simply to collect the bigger bonus.
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