Administrative body dishing out cash for no particular reason

In a move that will only aid the top English clubs in their quest to widen the gap between themselves and the rest of the league, UEFA have decided to compensate teams for the use of their players in Euro 2008:

The bill comes to around £32million, with UEFA paying roughly £3,200 per player for every day they are involved in the event.

Yes, you read that correctly, Europe’s footballing body will pay £3,200 for the privilege of keeping players match fit, instead of letting them go and guzzle cocktails in the sun for a few weeks. This means cash-strapped Liverpool will bag around £280,000 from the tournament, while Arsenal stand to make £90,000 from allowing Senderos and Dijourou to serve their country.

Even more ridiculously, the compensation will be shared with any clubs who have employed the players over the last two years, meaning Atletico Madrid will make a tidy packet from Fernando Torres’ presence at the tournament. What possible reason could Atletico need to be compensated for?

It would make sense if UEFA compensated teams for players who sustained injuries at the tournament, but Euro 2008 has done nothing but keep the Premier League’s star players fit and in most cases, increased their transfer values.

Anyone think this is a good idea? Let us know with a comment below.

[The Sun]