Clubs and FIFA on different wavelengths

THE ongoing cold war between football’s world governing body and Europe’s top clubs saw no hint of a thaw in the desert heat yesterday as leading representatives from both sides discussed their differences in a public arena.

FIFA’s director of communications Markus Siegler and Umberto Gandini, sporting director of G14 powerhouse AC Milan, were brought together on the final day of the Soccerex football industry convention in Dubai.

Their positions were far from complementary as they discussed the dispute over the issue of payments and compensation to clubs for players used in international matches. The G14 group is backing a case in the European courts brought by Belgian side Charleroi over a Moroccan player injured for eight months while on international friendly duty.