La Liga side Atlético Madrid's "wage bonus structure for the current season will only come into play if the team finishes in the top four" of La Liga or "reaches the last 16 of the Champions League." Atlético CEO Miguel Ángel Gil "has thrashed out a deal with the first-team captain and vice-captains Gabi [Fernández], Tiago [Mendes] and Raúl García, although it has yet to be put down on paper or signed" (MARCA, 10/12). ... France's football team "considers FIFA's elaborate World Cup qualification system unfair." The French Football Federation is "considering presenting an appeal, as it considers itself penalized by having had to compete in a qualifying group phase of five teams, while other groups consist of six teams." France, like the rest of the teams in its group, played two fewer official games than other teams (EFE, 10/13). ... In a survey conducted by French newspaper Le Parisien, 82% of voters in a survey indicated that "they have a 'negative opinion' of the French national football team." For 86% of those who participated, "the players earn too much money," and for 84%, the "players are selfish" (EFE, 10/13). ... Gareth Bale’s agent has hit out at newspaper Marca for "reporting that the Real Madrid winger had a slipped disc in his back." The Madrid-based paper claimed on Saturday that Bale "had suffered a slipped disc that was picked up in his medical," but President Florentino Perez "urged for the deal to be done anyway." Agent Jonathan Barnett said, "I spoke to a reporter from Marca, I told him: ‘It’s complete rubbish,' and yet they still print it. Whatever they say is a lie. How stupid and irresponsible of Marca to have run such a stupid story” (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 10/13). ... FIFA warned Democratic Republic of Congo side TP Mazembe "of serious consequences if the club does not release three Zambian players 48 hours before the Zambia-Brazil friendly on Oct. 15" (XINHUA 10/11). ... The Perak FA has "lifted the suspension on their squad over match-fixing suspicions during their Malaysian Cup exit, but said police were continuing to investigate" (REUTERS, 10/12).
