FIFA Paying Newcastle Star's Entire Wages as Club Exploit Unique Rule

Since the first week of October, Newcastle have benefited from a scheme that compensates football clubs when their players suffer a serious injury while on international duty.

Ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton on Saturday, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa is "looking good" after the forward trained for the first time since his return from injury.

“Yoane is doing well. He trained with his for the first time on Wednesday," said Howe. “I was really pleased that is his first time competitively. We will see how it looks. We have one (a comeback) date in mind, but it is probably best to keep it to ourselves.”

Newcastle have been without Wissa since his £55 million move from Brentford in the summer after he suffered a serious knee ligament injury while on international duty with DR Congo in September.

As a result, club officials applied for his reported £140,000 per-week wages to be covered through FIFA's Club Protection Programme (CPP), according to a report from the Daily Mail.

The CPP scheme gives clubs security when their players are called up for national duty. If a player is injured while playing for their country and cannot return to club football, they provide financial backup.

It is said the scheme has been paying Wissa’s wages since October 7.

Eddie Howe kept his cards close to his chest regarding a return date for Wissa, but reports suggest he could be available midway through December for Newcastle's visit to local rivals Sunderland.

“We don’t want to disappoint anyone," Howe said regarding Wissa's return date. “Of course, we want to involve him as soon as possible.”

Wissa is back in training after a lengthy absence. Image credit: Getty

Newcastle will travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday as they come up against an in-form Everton side.

Asked if an away win against the Toffees could be the most important result of Newcastle’s season, Howe said: “Possibly. We need that win away from home."

He added: “Without me trying to build it up as bigger than it is, any win , especially back-to-back wins, in the Premier League are transformative, especially with how tight the league is this year.”