Leading figures in world football have begun secret meetings aimed at resolving soccer's club versus country dispute. The first meeting took place in Zurich in late October. Among those involved were Roberto Bettaga, vice-president of Juventus, but also president of the G-14 grouping of top European clubs; Fifa president Blatter; and Mathieu Sprengers, an executive committee member of Uefa.
The meetings could lead to a system for compensating clubs when players are away representing their countries at international tournaments such as the World Cup. The aim is to improve relations between the rich European clubs and national associations. The compensation issue has been a source of tension for years. Clubs fear that a proportion of their players will return tired or injured, affecting their chances in domestic and European competitions and hence reducing revenus. One English Premiership player recently went down with malaria, thought to have been caught on international duty in Africa.
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