Chelsea decide not to pursue Ghana over Essien’s wages

Chelsea are not planning to seek compensation from the Ghana FA over the knee injury that may have ended Michael Essien’s season.

The midfield player, who stayed on in Angola to watch Ghana book their passage into the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso yesterday, will begin his journey back to London today after suffering medial ligament damage in training on Sunday.

Essien’s injury is a huge blow to Ghana, but at least they will not be hit by a claim from Chelsea, who could have demanded to be reimbursed for the player’s £120,000-a-week wages for the duration of his layoff. The FA has signed an agreement with all Premier League clubs to cover the salaries of any players injured while on international duty with England, an accord that Chelsea used to their advantage to recoup Frank Lampard’s £151,000-a-week wages when he suffered a thigh strain before the defeat by Brazil last November.

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, believes that national associations should be liable to pay damages to clubs in such circumstances. Arsenal have begun legal proceedings against the Dutch FA as a result of the ankle injury that Robin van Persie suffered in November, but Chelsea take a different view.

The club recognise that demanding compensation that could reach £3 million if Essien is out for six months might have devastating consequences for Ghanaian football and that the future of the international game would be jeopardised if such actions became common practice. Chelsea will instead rely on their insurance policies to cover the costs of paying Essien during his absence.