Seamus Coleman's wages at Everton, believed to be in the region of €55,000 per week, will be paid by Fifa while he recovers from a double leg fracture suffered during international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
Coleman underwent a successful leg operation on Saturday following a wild challenge by Wales defender Neil Taylor, who was immediately dismissed during the World Cup qualifier between the two sides in Dublin last Friday.
The 28-year-old fullback is expected to miss at least the rest of the Premier League season and his wages will be covered by Fifa Club Protection Programme during that period.
Fifa’s Club Protection Programme was introduced in 2012 in response to growing concerns from clubs about the lack of financial contribution from national associations towards the cost of a player being injured while under the latter’s care.
Under the scheme, Fifa will cover the cost of injured player’s wages up to a maximum of €143,836 per week, up to a maximum of one year. In total, the scheme is capped at €7.5 million per player.
However, the programme’s total annual budget is €100 million and if this fund is exceeded clubs are not entitled to receive any compensation.
According to Fifa regulations: “If a player is injured due to an accident while on duty with his representative “A” team, the player’s club will be compensated for having to continue to pay the player’s fixed salary although the player is temporarily disabled and unable to perform footballing activities for his club.”
“The programme compensates football clubs for up to a maximum of €7,500,000 per football player per accident.”
