FIFA agree to pay whopping daily compensation as Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo gets injured on international duty - Reports

FIFA will be paying FC Barcelona a maximum sum of €20,458 per day following defender Ronald Araujo's injury, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via AS).

Araujo picked up a thigh injury during an international friendly against Iran in September and is set to undergo surgery. The Uruguayan defender is expected to be on the sidelines for around 2-3 months, which could see him miss the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

All is not bad for Barcelona though. According to the aforementioned source, the club are entitled to receive compensation from FIFA for Araujo's injury as part of the Player Protection Program. The program was introduced in December 2018 which guarantees that a club will receive a maximum amount of €20,458 per day.

However, the amount is calculated based on the wages of the player in question. The Catalan giants will only reap the benefits of his scheme if Araujo is out for more than 28 days, which he is expected to be. In theory, each club can receive a grand total of around €7.5 million in a year. The figures can be obtained if a club receives the maximum permissible amount of €20,458 for all the 365 days of the year.

AS also reports that FIFA allocates around €80 million per year as part of the Player Protection Program.

Araujo was an integral part of Barcelona's team during the early stages of the 2022-23 season. The Uruguay international made seven appearances for the Blaugrana this season before picking up an injury whilst on international duty.

It is worth mentioning that Araujo was also used as a makeshift right-back by manager Xavi Hernandez this season. Araujo played the first two games of the new La Liga season as a right-back before returning to his natural centre-back position.

Araujo's injury is a major blow for both Barcelona and Uruguay. The two-time world champions have been drawn alongside Portugal, Ghana and South Korea in the FIFA World Cup in Group H. Araujo would have been a key player for Uruguay as they look to qualify out of a tough group.

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Barcelona return to La Liga action at the weekend

Barcelona will return to La Liga action at the weekend following the international break. The Catalan outfit will take on Mallorca on Saturday, October 1.

Xavi's side have made an excellent start to the 2022-23 season. As things stand, they have picked up 16 points from their opening six league outings.

However, they are still second in the standings behind their arch-rivals Real Madrid, who have won all six of their games so far this season.