FIFA looking into injury compensation

FIFA said it's ready to "reform the regulation" of not compensating clubs for their players' international service.

FIFA had been at odds with the G14 group of clubs over who should pay to insure players on national duty and pay the wages should the stars then be injured.

FIFA rules have stated that players must be released for international football without entitlement to financial compensation. But Heinz Taennler, the director of FIFA's legal division in Zurich, said the organisation is looking at establishing an insurance fund and compensation fund for international players.

Speaking at a sports law seminar in London, Taennler said that sometimes, after international duty, the clubs had "a player, an employee, not available for a short time, or sometimes a long time" but there still must be regular payments.

"FIFA wants to take the clubs into consideration," Taennler said. "In order to take the clubs into consideration FIFA will probably reform the regulation at some time in the future.

"We are working on the possibility of an insurance fund, and compensation fund. This will take time as FIFA is a political organisation."

Taennler said a start had been made during the summer with the establishment of FIFA's World Cup compensation fund.

That fund of GBP 6.3 million was designed to help poorer nations whose football authorities could not afford the sort of insurance taken out by the more well-off nations.

The current FIFA rules state the clubs are "responsible for insurance cover against illness and accident during the entire period of his release. This must extend to any injuries sustained by the player during the international matches for which he was released".

This comes after a flurry of legal activity. FIFA is being sued by Belgian Charleroi, which has been supported by the G14, over an injury suffered on international duty by Morocco's Abdelmajid Oulmers.

In May, the case was moved from a tribunal in Charleroi to the European Court of Justice, where it is waiting to be heard.

Jean-Louis Dupont, legal counsel for the G 14, said the Charleroi case is an issue of trying to convince a judge that the system is illegal. He's not asking for the judge to make changes, but rather suggest that changes be made.

Maurice Watkins, a director of English Manchester United, one of the G 14, is convinced the time is perfect for FIFA to make changes. He felt the World Cup pool was not significant enough to make an impact. "I am sure the insurance side of things will be sorted in new regulations," Watkins said. "There will be some system where there are payments into a pot. It may be that there will be standard payments [out of the pot]... it is a difficult procedural problem that has to be looked at."

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.