FIFA insurance to pay out $9.7 million per player injured during international duty

By Andrew Warshaw in Budapest

May 25 – After years of club-versus-country debate over who should pay for players injured on international duty, FIFA today laid out the terms of the groundbreaking insurance policy by revealing that a maximum $9.7 million (£6.2 million/€7.7 million) per player would be paid out covering a period of just over two years.

The payments will reflect the salary of the individual concerned with the maximum daily amount set at $27,000 (£17,200/€21,500) a day, FIFA’s secretary general Jérôme Valcke told delegates at the FIFA Congress here.

FIFA are covering themselves by allowing the policy only to cover an injured player for one year so that the agreement is not abused.

But no mention is made of what happens if a player’s salary goes up or down, or he is transferred while receiving the payouts.

Valcke, who confirmed that the policy would apply worldwide for all senior matches in the international calendar from September this year to December 2014, said: “This is very important; it is a significant step forward.

“An accident that prevents a player from playing for his club for some time is now covered.

“The ultimate beneficiary is the club that pays the salaries.”

The agreement ends a long-running dispute between FIFA and the clubs who have complained for many years that they should be compensated when their players break down while playing for their countries.

For the upcoming European Championship finals in Poland and Ukraine, cover will be provided instead by UEFA.

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