FAI facing �750,000 players bill for internationals

**hamish** · 24/03/2006, 10:16 AM

Well said The Jamaican PM and Stuttgart88.

I was worried we might get a repeat of the Tennis crisis in the 60s when the professionals gave the finger to the various Tennis organisations.

**pete** · 24/03/2006, 11:04 AM

Like i said it doesn't matter if the G14 clubs have a legal case or not as its just unworkable on worldwide basis. Big countries would be able to afford to pay players & smaller countries would not so international football would collapse.

Uefa are standing their ground against a CL breakway just to protect their own interests & not the smaller countries. I think they should call the bluff of the G14 clubs & then refuse them membership of their national associations & therefore block all players in those clubs from international football. Clubs like Juventus would die trying to live off 10,000 Euro Super League attendances.

It should be remembered that G14 only represent a handful of clubs & although they powerful could easily be boycotted by proper football people.

**Irish_Praha** · 24/03/2006, 10:36 PM

This situation really highlights the club versus country issue and the unusual dependence that lots of Irish fans have on a foreign league for their weekly football entertainment. I am also of the opinion that some kind of sensible compromise will be made but the potential for this to hurt Irish football fans is huge. In fact i would go as far as to say that the worst case scenario would hit Irish soccer fans worse than any other country in Europe or even the world.
The quality of the EL vs EPL vs SPL has been debated to infinitum here and I don't want to get into that now but for whatever reason there are many more staunt fans of British teams than of Irish teams in Ireland and this is quite a unique situation. There are probably some exceptions but I think the vast majority on here would prefer to see Ireland win a world cup than their chosen British team win the champion's league 10 years in a row. With most other countries the fans have a much closer relationship to their local club and some care even more about their club results than that of their national team. Whereas Irish people support teams that have nothing to do with them or their community. What a bitter pill it would be to swallow to you see one of your Irish heroes playing out of his skin for your favourite club and run rings around the best Europe has to offer but to see Ireland get hammered by England because we couldn't afford to pay his wages. That would really make you think twice about supporting that club ...... I hope!!

**pete** · 24/03/2006, 10:48 PM

Uefa do not recognise G14 & they are quiet correct. They are an unrepresentative & only speak for less than 1% of European clubs. They are the minority... I think Uefa have refused to speak to them...?

**Forever Dreamin** · 25/03/2006, 12:25 AM

If the G14 want to set up there own league let them, it'll fail within a couple of years. 18 clubs as of now equals 34 league games, and a maximum of 4 games in a cup comp or 8 if 2 leged cup. No promotion, no relegation, who would pay to see the bottom 9 clubs on PPV??? There players would all be banned from international competitions, so that would upset a lot of players who still give 100% for their countries.

Remember a few years ago The English Rugby Union went to sell the rights to their home games at Twickwenham, they did, and the Irish French Scots and Welsh withdrew from the five nations. They got F all for the tv rights as they had no one to play and backed down very quickly.

Remember Celtic and Rangers trying to do a deal for tv rights and all the other SPL clubs threatened to leave the SPL, end result the same.

It's pure greed and wont work, so I say let them do what the f*** they like because it wont last

**geysir** · 25/03/2006, 9:08 AM

Originally Posted by sirhamish

Take your point Livehead but doesn't the FAI pay a huge insurance fee per match and does it cover the time they're out injured?? Maybe it's just medical costs it covers - it's hardly wages or is it??

It is clearly stated in the full story at the start of the thread. http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stor...=12&si=1585175
"The FAI currently pays an insurance premium of €60,000 per game which covers each player's wages for up 26 weeks should they get injured while playing for their country"
I understand that this insurance is not compulsary world wide. The insurance issue is a legitimate bone of contention which could easily be remedied by making it compulsary.

**hamish** · 25/03/2006, 9:41 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

It is clearly stated in the full story at the start of the thread. http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stor...=12&si=1585175
"The FAI currently pays an insurance premium of �60,000 per game which covers each player's wages for up 26 weeks should they get injured while playing for their country"
I understand that this insurance is not compulsary world wide. The insurance issue is a legitimate bone of contention which could easily be remedied by making it compulsary.

Thanks Geysir - forgot that bit - my bad.

So if their wages are covered for 26 weeks what'd Delaney on about re. the massive costs involved if G14 get their way?
I can understand the small countries having a problem but 60 grand?

**CollegeTillIDie** · 25/03/2006, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by pete

It doesn't matter if the law is behind G14 as it would kill International football. How Could cameroon afford to pay Eto?

That is precisely what the G14 are trying to bring about !

**jbyrne** · 25/03/2006, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by sirhamish

Thanks Geysir - forgot that bit - my bad.

So if their wages are covered for 26 weeks what'd Delaney on about re. the massive costs involved if G14 get their way?
I can understand the small countries having a problem but 60 grand?

they are looking for the wages to be paid by the national associations while players are on international duty whether injured or not.
it is complete greed by europes so called bigger clubs. the cheek of them to be honest. all their players came from the underage set-ups in each country but do you ever hear them wanting to pay the associations for helping develope such talent?!

**klein4** · 25/03/2006, 1:01 PM

Good post from Irish Praha pointing out the differance in attitudes that different fans might actually have to international football. The G14 proposal might not be as universally opposed as is being made out.

**Forever Dreamin** · 25/03/2006, 9:44 PM

IF the G14 have their way, compensation payments to schoolboy clubs will be a thing of the past, its a case of major PLCs only interested in money for today and not the future of the game. As previously posted they have no problem with benefiting from the increase in value of players via international football.

**hamish** · 25/03/2006, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by jbyrne

they are looking for the wages to be paid by the national associations while players are on international duty whether injured or not.
it is complete greed by europes so called bigger clubs. the cheek of them to be honest. all their players came from the underage set-ups in each country but do you ever hear them wanting to pay the associations for helping develope such talent?!

That's what I said in an earlier post in this thread, jbyrne, couldn't agree with you more.

**Roverstillidie** · 25/03/2006, 10:40 PM

irish praha makes a great deal of sense.
i lived in italy and i naively asked a few footie lads what they thought of the azzuri's chances in an upcoming game.
"I dont give a f�ck, i follow roma/inter/pisa etc"

similar seen in the north of england, glasgow, catalonia, basque country, siberia etc. week in week out club fans are always stauncher than 6 game a season international fans

i know hoops who rather see rovers win a corner than delaneys 11 win a competitive match. while i wouldnt go that far, if i had to chose one over the other.....

while it is just the g14 flexing muscles, how many of us are allowed moonlight in our jobs?

**Forever Dreamin** · 26/03/2006, 10:16 AM

Roverstill I die, i accept your views but if you are more interested in Rovers why do you have Delaney out as your signature???

**Roverstillidie** · 26/03/2006, 5:03 PM

Originally Posted by Forever Dreamin

Roverstill I die, i accept your views but if you are more interested in Rovers why do you have Delaney out as your signature???

8 points off, schemes to relegate teams on marketablility, pushing through groundsharing, consolodating power at the expense of transparancy etc? there is more to the fai than 8 international games.

you have proved my point that the average irish fan doesnt see beyond the senior national side. thanks.

**livehead1** · 26/03/2006, 8:13 PM

Originally Posted by Roverstillidie

8 points off, schemes to relegate teams on marketablility, pushing through groundsharing, consolodating power at the expense of transparancy etc? there is more to the fai than 8 international games.

you have proved my point that the average irish fan doesnt see beyond the senior national side. thanks.

LOL and sure why should they, when people like you can do it for them!!

**CollegeTillIDie** · 01/04/2006, 11:10 AM

Well one of the positives might be that there would be an EL/Republic Of Ireland Senior international team playing in the Green shirt, cause the FAI would not be able to afford the overpaid primadonna's wages in comp to the Fat Cat clubs cross channel!