FIFA to consider Owen compensation
June 23, 2006
BERLIN (AP) -- FIFA will consider paying compensation to Michael Owen, even if the injury to the England striker was not the sort of case it had mind when creating an insurance fund for the World Cup.
The Newcastle United forward ruptured knee ligaments in England's 2-2 draw with Sweden and is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
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"We have a special insurance fund for cases of this kind," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Friday. "The English FA will now have to look at this matter because they made Owen available to play and this will then be put to FIFA.
"This case will be decided at the end of the tournament but this fund does exist for this kind of serious injury."
Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is investigating if the club can be compensated for Owen's weekly salary and any potential transfer opportunity that has been scuttled.
Owen earns $190,000 per week with Newcastle.
Blatter said the intention of the insurance fund -- $12 million -- was that it would be a safety net for teams that lacked the resources to properly insure their players while on national duty.
"A player must be under an insurance guaranteed by his club -- that's the first principle," Blatter said. "When entering a player, a national association must make sure a player is properly insured.
"We've put together a fund to deal with cases that may not be covered those two principles."
Updated on Friday, Jun 23, 2006 1:02 pm EDT
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