European Club Association Threatens FIFA

September 7th, 2010 | by: Daryl |

khr European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had some harsh words for FIFA ahead of today’s Euro qualifying games.

“It is no longer acceptable that we have to give up our players, taking the risk that, in case of injury, we still have to play their salaries,” Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, president of the European Clubs’ Association (ECA), told reporters. “We believe it is the right moment for (world ruling body) FIFA and (Europe’s) UEFA to take care of our players.”

The European Club Association is basically a pressure group representing Europe’s biggest teams. And no big European team currently has a bigger beef with international football than Bayern Munich, where – ever so slightly co-incidentally – Rummenigge is also chairman.

For those with short memories, Bayern’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben played for the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup while carrying a thigh injury, which had become a two-inch hole in his muscle by the time he got back to Bayern. Robben will be out for the rest of 2010 and Bayern are understandably miffed.

FIFA currently shares $40 million of its World Cup profits with clubs of the players called up for duty, but Rummenigge pointed out that the payment Bayern received for Robben covered more or less one week’s pay.

In the club vs country debate, I usually side with country. If only because the clubs usually hold all the cards. And by cards I mean players. But I think some sort of compromise can be reached here. I don’t necessarily agree with Rumenigge that FIFA should be paying out every time a player gets injured on international duty. Can you imagine insuring every international footballer in the world? Covering the big boys like Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo alone would put a hole in FIFA’s fundage. And it’s unfair to expect that no player can get injured on international duty. You can’t player a competitive international covered in bubble wrap (although… write that down and pitch it to Sky Sports for Summer 2013).

Maybe some sort of compromise can be reached for situations like Robben’s where the national team has pushed a player to his limits and caused damage in doing so. (I’m not saying the Netherlands were 100% wrong to do so by the way, the World Cup is worth the risk and Robben came thisclose to winning it for them.) So FIFA should give in, and insure players for exceptional circumstances. But don’t give too much, because the European clubs will be back for more before you know it.

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http://france.worldcupblog.org/ OffsideSarah

Any comments from players unions? The way the rules are set up now, players dont really have a choice to not play for national team. And I can understand why Robben wanted to play, despite his injury, this summer. Clearly it was a once in a lifetime chance. But, if his injuries were so bad, he arguably could have said he was too injured.

What obligation should he have to preserve his body for his club (that pays him)?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tommy-Meskis-Wong/100001474481227 Tommy Meškis Wong

Onyewu was hurt in an international friendly last year and had to sit out the whole 09/10 for AC Milan. They wanted FIFA to pay for his wages to make up for it. I guess the pressure is paying off.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Lorenzo-van-Wijngaarden/1351508124 Lorenzo van Wijngaarden

I'd like to point out during the worldcup Robben stated multible times to the media he was 100% fit and ready to play.
If Robben lied to play in the worldcup it isn't FIFA's fault right? (or KNVB for that matter)
Even if Robben didn't lie and really did feel 100% fit (which I find hard to believe) it still isn't FIFA's fault right?
You could maybe blame the doctors who did the medical examination and only saw 1 tore in the muscle instead of 2.
sandra350

Kaka also went to the world cup at only about 80% fit.

We gooners are SICK TO DEATH of seeing our players come back to Arsenal injured for months or even a whole season after a useless friendly placed on the calendar at a ridiculous time. We lost RVP last season in November when he played in a FRIENDLY v. Italy. He was out for the whole season from then on.

A big problem is that the national associations take little care with these players – playing them when they clearly shouldn't. Further, the nat. associations routinely play with the truth – Holland has done this with Arsenal a number of times, not being honest about RVP's injury – or just being plain incompetent in diagnosing it. After his injury in November they said it was only about a 6-week injury. A later scan proved that it was much more serious.

I'm completely with Rumennige on this.
http://twitter.com/sivak1985 Sivakumar

How about his since the clubs already pay for the medical expenses..set a cluase saying ..if the player is injured he doesnt get paid…nothing is going to happen to these overpaid footballers if they miss a couple weeks pay checks..

long term injuries can be addressed differently .Pay the salaries after deducting the medical expenses from them.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Lorenzo-van-Wijngaarden/1351508124 Lorenzo van Wijngaarden

Aren't friendly's supposed to get a feeling with the rest of the team? preparations for world cup and euro cup? If so your actually saying country's can't use there star players in friendlies and can't ever get the feeling with the team besides practices? (If your implying the countries football associations should pay for it, they can't pay for the insurance of 11 pro players.) So let's all play the world cup with our worst players that will be nice to see… If the team is afraid to loose a player and having to pay for it, they should insure them themselves i my opinion.
JG

As an Arsenal fan, I side with Rummenigge on this. Perhaps for important events such as the World Cup and European Championships, liability should be held to a minimum. But as a fan who's had to watch an abnormally large amount of his club's players come back injured for months for internationals, many of them friendlies, there really should be a form of compensation for injuries of this sort.
agiamba

Arsenal fans should complain first and foremost about buying absurdly injury-prone players. There's a reason they get injured on international duty playing for different teams in different stadiums on different pitches and against different opponents.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Aaron-Lammers/1169193386 Aaron Lammers

“FIFA currently shares $40 million of its World Cup profits with clubs of the players called up for duty, but Rummenigge pointed out that the payment Bayern received for Robben covered more or less one week’s pay.”

I find this quote to be a little funny. There is an obvious solution that would help both club and FIFA. Pay the players less! That will make it easier for FIFA to compensate clubs when players get injured and clubs won't complain about having to pay crazy amounts of money to injured players.