KEY POINTS:
NYON, Switzerland - FIFA and UEFA have agreed to pay around US$252 ($337) million over the next six years to compensate soccer clubs whose players take part in World Cups and European championships.
The deal, involving a $110 million payment by FIFA and approximately $142 million by UEFA, was announced following a meeting with club representatives at UEFA's Swiss headquarters on Monday.
It forms part of a package of agreements aimed at ending years of legal wrangling between the continent's top clubs and the sport's governing bodies.
As well as receiving compensation when their players are on international duty, the clubs have received assurances FIFA and UEFA will look to reduce the number of international matches.
In return, the 18 members of the self-appointed G14 group of top clubs are set to disband, making way for a new independent European Club Association.
Based largely on UEFA's existing club forum, the association will comprise 103 clubs from all 53 national associations with membership determined solely on sporting achievements.
"There is no winner here apart from football itself," Michel Platini, president of European soccer's governing body UEFA, told a news conference.
"It was utterly unthinkable for us that players might not have the right to play for their national team but of course we could see it was also logical the clubs who provide these players should also share in the profits from the competitions."
The agreement will see world soccer's ruling body FIFA contribute $40 million for clubs whose players participate in the 2010 World Cup with the sum rising to $70 million for 2014.
UEFA will also make a fixed payment of $63 million (43.5 million euros) for June's Euro 2008 tournament. The 2012 figure is expected to be around $79 million but will be dependent upon total revenue from the event staged in Poland and Ukraine.
The funds provided by the governing bodies will be partly used to provide insurance for players injured during international competitions, a long-standing issue of contention.
- REUTERS
