Atletico seeking Maxi compensation

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MADRID, Spain -- Atletico Madrid are studying the options available to them to claim compensation for their player Maxi Rodriguez, who suffered a serious injury while on international duty with Argentina during the week.

The forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Argentina's 2-1 friendly defeat against Spain in Murcia on Wednesday and is expected to be out for around six months.

Atletico were especially upset over the state of the pitch. Maxi was hurt as he appeared to stumble over a clod of earth.

"It doesn't make sense that clubs buy players and pay their salaries so that third parties like FIFA and the national teams can use them," Atletico's majority shareholder Miguel Angel Gil Marin was quoted as saying in sports daily AS on Friday.

"Not only do they not pay for them, but they don't want to know anything about cases such as this."

From early on in the game the newly-laid surface came up easily and puffs of sand accompanied kicks and tackles.

Atletico coach Javier Aguirre has said Maxi told him neither national coach was happy with the pitch, while Spanish media reported Real Murcia did not intend to use the pitch until mid-November.

"We have called a meeting with the football league for Monday. We have lost a key player to an injury sustained on an unplayable pitch," Gil Marin said.

"Between the cost for the player and his salary we are set to lose around six million euros ($7.5 million). After he'd had a great World Cup we had just doubled his salary.

"We are going to do all we can to claim compensation from the Argentine Federation from the Spanish Federation and from FIFA."

Similar case

Belgian club Charleroi have, with the backing of Europe's richest clubs through the G14, already brought a similar case against FIFA, seeking compensation for a player injured on international duty.

That case was referred to the European Court of Justice in May.

"We will propose that federations who take league players should pay a proportion of the costs for the player," said Gil Marin.

"For injuries, we will demand that they take out an insurance policy that guarantees payment of the player's costs during the period they are laid low."

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