Sport Industry Group

Clubs push for player insurance premiums- 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00

European clubs have appealed to football's authorities to start paying insurance premiums to cover players injured whilst on international duty.

Europe's largest representative body of clubs said it could no longer run the risk of players picking up injuries on international duty.

‘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.

The world governing body has also moved international double-headers from Saturday and Wednesday to Friday and Tuesday in order for players to get back to their clubs in decent time for weekend domestic games.

But neither measure, according to Rummenigge, goes far enough.

‘If I rent a car I have to bring it back clean as if it was unused. With players we have to give them up yet have to pay, twice over if you like, when we get them back injured.’