SUNDERLAND manager Peter Reid last night called upon FIFA to introduce an automatic compensation scheme after losing the services of his £1m midfielder Jason McAteer - probably for the rest of the season - through an injury received while training with the Republic of Ireland squad.

McAteer did not even make the midweek friendly in Dublin against the USA, returning instead to Wearside to have treatment on a groin strain which keeps him out of today's game at West Ham and could see him sitting out the rest of the battle for Premiership survival.

It is the second serious injury picked up by a Sunderland player on international duty in recent years - Stefan Schwarz suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a friendly for Sweden in March 2000 which kept him out of club action for ten months.

Clubs are compensated when players are injured on England duty, but the same does not apply to other nations and Reid would like to see FIFA insist that all countries should be brought into a comprehensive scheme.

He said: "It is difficult when you send lads away on international duty and they come back injured and I think some compensation should be paid. I got an injury when I was playing for England as an Everton player and I think the FA insurance looked after that.

"But when you go away with countries like Ireland and Sweden you don't get anything.

"In this day and age I think a compensation scheme needs to be looked at, especially bearing in mind the size of the salaries paid to some of the players involved.

"I have always thought even back to when I was a player that compensation should be paid and even more so as a manager.

"It doesn't seem logical that a club should foot the bill if a player gets injured while he is away on international duty for his country."

Reid found an unfamiliar ally yesterday in his calls for compensation from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Wenger has renewed his war of words with France's football federation after their bid for a domestic double was harmed by the potential loss of Sylvain Wiltord for the rest of the season.

The Arsenal boss has already clashed with France coach Roger Lemerre for taking his team to Chile and Australia for friendlies earlier this season.

Wenger declared: ''It's a great frustration as he is an important player in our team, although we have shown the kind of strength to cope with this sort of situation before.

''I don't think friendlies should be played at this stage of the season when all the big clubs are fighting for trophies. The most important thing is to ensure the players are in good shape for the World Cup."

Reid, meanwhile, insisted the loss of McAteer wil be 'a massive blow' if the player doesn't play again this season.

McAteer, who scored the match-winning goal against his first club, Bolton at the Stadium of Light last month, has been one of Sunderland's most consistent performers on the right side of midfield and his absence at West Ham will further deplete Sunderland's already disappointing fire-power.

Reid puts Sunderland's poor season down to their inability to turn chances into goals, with leading scorer Kevin Phillips stuck on 11 goals for the past nine games.

He said: "You only need to look at the figures - 26 goals and only nine of them away from home - to see the problem we have had.

"I wouldn't say we haven't been creating chances and we have to start scoring goals. When we don't it puts more pressure on the back four to keep clean sheets.

"We have to start scoring and the sooner the better - and I am just not talking about the front men I'm on about people all over the park.

"If we'd scored another ten League goals this season you don't know where you might have been, especially when we've been involved in so many tight games."

With Republic of Ireland international Niall Quinn recovered from the neck injury which kept him out of the friendly against the United States, he will again link up with Phillips, who is still troubled by a slight groin strain but has declared himself fit enough to play.

But Cameroon international Patrick Mboma is still unavailable with a persistent ankle injury, which could jeopardise his hopes of a permanent move.

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