International football will be destroyed if Belgian club
Charleroi win a landmark court case, says European football's
governing body Uefa.
Charleroi are suing world body Fifa after player Abdelmajid Oulmers
was injured playing for Morocco in 2004. Few countries could fund
national teams if Charleroi won, Uefa told BBC Sport.
A spokesman said: "It would be the end of the national team game. A
World Cup would take place with only Spain, Germany, Italy, France
and England."
A Charleroi victory would mean clubs would become entitled to
compensation while their players are away on international
duty
The spokesman, William Gaillard, said international football was
"in the end what people like the most".
Charleroi claim the loss of Oulmers damaged their hopes of winning
the Belgian league title in 2004/5 and it wants compensation for
having to pay the player's wages while he was out of action.
In May, the case was moved from a tribunal in Charleroi to the
European Court of Justice, where it is waiting to be heard.
The club are being backed by the G14 group of clubs, who are
unhappy with Fifa rules that players must be released for
international football without entitlement to financial
compensation.
A Charleroi victory "would be the end of national football for any
football association outside of the big five in Europe," Gaillard
said.
"I was talking to Brazilian, Scandinavian and Eastern European
football experts, and they all said we would never see our stars
playing for the national team again.
"A World Cup would take place with only Spain, Germany, Italy,
France and England and that would be the end.
"There's no way the Brazilian FA could pay for one fifth of the
players."
Newcastle are negotiating with the Football Association for
compensation after Michael Owen was injured playing for England
during the World Cup.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger this week weighed into the debate by
likening international coaches to joyriders.
"What the national coaches are doing is like taking the car from
his (club manager's) garage without even asking his permission,"
Wenger said.
"They'll then use his car for 10 days and abandon it in a field
without any petrol left in the tank.
"We then have to recover it, but it is broken down. Then, a month
later, they'll come to take your car again -and for good measure
you're expected to be nice about it."