No compensation to clubs for winter World Cup – Fifa

Football’s world governing body FIFA flexed its muscles again when it announced that clubs will not get compensation for losing players and suffering domestic disruption due to a 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar.

A day after a FIFA task force angered Europe’s clubs by recommending a November/December tournament, the organisation’s secretary general, Jerome Valcke, told reporters there would be no financial payments for any disruption to domestic leagues.

“There will be no compensation. I mean they have seven years to reorganise football around the world for this World Cup,” said Valcke when asked if any payment would be made following the shift from the originally proposed dates of a European summer tournament.

“It’s not perfect, we know that. But why are we talking about compensation? It’s happening once, we’re not destroying football.

“Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m in 2010 and $70m in 2014.”

On Tuesday, European Clubs’ Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said Europe’s clubs would seek financial compensation, but Valcke ruled that out following a meeting of a FIFA task force in the Qatari capital.

The proposed new dates for the event are set to be ratified by FIFA’s executive committee next month.

Valke also said the duration of the 2022 tournament is set be cut from 32 to 28 days, meaning more games will be played per day, so a country of Qatar’s size might need fewer stadiums.