FIFA investigated by Swiss over clubs' complaint
Europe's elite clubs, angry at having to release players for international tournaments, triggered an investigation into world soccer's governing body FIFA by Switzerland's competition commission on Friday.
Europe's elite clubs, angry at having to release players for international tournaments, triggered an investigation into world soccer's governing body FIFA by Switzerland's competition commission on Friday.
The commission said it had opened a preliminary inquiry into Zurich-based FIFA after the G-14 group of European clubs made an official complaint about regulations governing the release of players for internationals.
"This complaint concerns points of dispute between clubs and national teams, particularly concerning clubs making players available to national teams for free for competitions organised by FIFA," it said.
"The preliminary inquiry will aim to show if there are elements of illicit competitive restrictions under FIFA rules."
The move by G-14 is a major step in the club versus country dispute bedevilling top flight soccer and will infuriate FIFA who believes the game should sort out its own problems without recourse to outside bodies.
G-14, representing clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, wants FIFA and European body UEFA to compensate clubs for releasing players for major championships. Under FIFA rules clubs must release players for a certain number of internationals a year and major tournaments.
"We had always tried not to go too far but we are trying to safeguard the interests of the clubs and not just member clubs," a source close to the lobby group said.
Clubs pay top players' high wages and want a share of the huge revenues generated by tournaments like the World Cup and the European championship which takes place in Portugal in June.
A FIFA spokesman declined to comment on the commission's announcement. It is not known how long the investigation will take.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in December he would not discuss the compensation issue with the clubs' lobby group.
Blatter recently introduced a coordinated calendar for soccer internationals, with specific dates set aside for qualifying games for major tournaments and friendlies, to reduce the impact on clubs and improve their ability to plan.
However, the calendar has anomalies and clubs are infuriated when players miss key games because of injuries picked up on national duty or by returning home late.
South American players employed by European clubs will play three games in eight days this week after having to fly to South America to play in World Cup qualifiers.
The G-14 also wants clubs, some of whom are in serious financial trouble after overspending on players and a decline in television revenue, to be involved in the harmonisation of the calendar. This year Euro 2004 is followed by South America's Copa America, the Asian Cup and the Olympic soccer competition.
"We don't complain about national teams existing but it is no longer viable to maintain the system which is too heavy on the backs of the employers," the source said.
"We are not talking about qualifiers and friendlies but centrally commercialised tournaments."