You wouldn't return a hire car in the condition our footballers come back, clubs tell FIFA

By Andrew Warshaw in Geneva

September 7 – European clubs today urged the sport’s governing bodies to start paying out insurance premiums to cover highly prized players injured on international duty.

Just as a series of qualifiers took place across the continent, Europe’s main body of clubs said it was no longer prepared to pick up the tab for injuries sustained in international matches.

“FIFA and UEFA have to care about our players,” said Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of the 197-strong European Club Association.

“It is no longer acceptable that we have to give up our players…and then they come back injured.”

Although FIFA compensated clubs for the use of their players during the World Cup, this was mainly to cover salaries on a daily basis rather than take account of injuries.

“If I rent a car I have to bring it back clean as if it was unused,” said Rummenigge who drove yesterday’s discussions, predicted exclusively by insideworldfootball last week.

“With players we have to give them up yet we get them back injured.”

Rummenigge’s own club, Bayern Munich, will be without winger Arjan Robben for possibly the entire year.

“Robben is a classic case of a player going to the World Cup already injured and coming back in a worse condition and now we have to pay the bill,” he said.

“He is out for perhaps the rest of the year yet we have to pay for this.”

Rummenigge said any insurance payments should ideally cover all international fixtures, including friendlies and youth games, as well as all players whether they come from Europe or outside the continent.

UEFA, he said, was the best vehicle for bringing about some kind of firm agreement in the hope that FIFA will follow suit and change its statutes which currently insist that clubs have to insure their own players.

“We have had discussions with FIFA in the past but they were not successful,” said Rummenigge.

“We appreciate that FIFA paid compensation during the World Cup but the income they make is thanks to our players who are paid by our clubs.

“We are confident our discussions with UEFA will bear fruit.”

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