Hundreds of unpaid soccer players seek help from FIFA fund

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Hundreds of unpaid soccer players seek help from FIFA fund

Published Monday, June 15, 2020 10:20AM EDT

People are reflected in the entrance of the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland in this Sept. 24, 2015 file photo. (Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP)

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ZURICH -- A $16 million FIFA fund to pay soccer players whose clubs disbanded leaving wages unpaid has had 441 applications.

FIFA said Monday 89 per cent of cases, more than 390 players, involved European clubs and the other 11 per cent were spread worldwide.

The fund was launched in February with the global group of players' unions, FIFPro, which warned that some clubs closed down to avoid paying wages then re-started as a new operation.

FIFA and FIFPro said the money could be 鈥渁n important safety net鈥� though was unable to cover all salaries owed.

FIFA set aside $5 million for retrospective claims dating from July 2015 to the end of this month. A further $11 million is allocated for the next three years.