Fifa have agreed to pay compensation to clubs for releasing their players to represent their national teams at the 2018 World Cup.

The European Club Association has informed on its official website that $209m will be distributed to clubs through the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, and the amount is three times higher than that paid for players' participati­on in Brazil 2014.

Starting from June 1, 2018, when the players included in the squad list must report to the training camp, Fifa will pay $8,530 per player per day (equivalent of N3,070,800.00) until they are knocked out of the competition.

If Victor Moses and Alex Iwobi are taken as an example, Chelsea and Arsenal are guaranteed at least $221,780 each (N79.8 million) for releasing the two players to the Nigeria Football Federation for Group D matches.

The total payment for the Nigerian national team for the group stage is $5,100,940 (approximately N1.8 billion).

The agreed provisions set aside were $40m for the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa and $70m for the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : arsenal.com