Chelsea football club are reportedly suing the Football Association for £900,000 after star midfielder Frank Lampard suffered a muscle strain in training.

The player is currently in Qatar for England’s Friendly match against Brazil, but the aircraft he and his team mates travelled on was reported to be too small and cramped. The superstars usually have luxury planes with reclining beds for long haul trips, however this time the seven hour flight was taken on a regular charter plane usually used on short haul journeys. Several players complained of muscle ache and cramp during the flight, however it was the next morning at their first training session that Lampard broke down with a left thigh injury when he tried to sprint following his initial warm up routine.

Chelsea are furious that one of their star players may now be out for a few weeks and are claiming his £151,000 a week wages back from the FA. Lampard, 31, who missed six weeks of last season with a similar injury is set to miss crucial league games against Arsenal and Manchester City, plus champions League clashes with Porto and Apoel Nicosia.

The FA are only receiving a £400,000 match fee for the friendly game, compared to an estimated £4m for Brazil, hence the need to cut travel costs, a saving they could end up paying heavily for. International friendlies are a thorn in many Premiership managers’ sides, while they appreciate the need for them, they don’t appreciate their tight schedules being interrupted by them. But why is the game being played in Qatar in the first place?

When Brazil played the opening game at the newly rebuilt Wembley stadium in 2007, the FA couldn’t afford their £1.2m appearance fee, so Brazil’s ‘match agents’ a company called Kentaro, agreed to pay it. This left the FA owing them a favour, and left arrangements for the return fixture up to them. Kentaro are staging the game where they could arrange the highest match fee for their South American clients, thus the game in Qatar.

So are there any benefits to England playing this friendly at all then? I’m sure Chelsea don’t think so, however it’ll be good for international fans to see Fabio Capello’s current team in action against the five times world champions.

There’s also the opportunity for FA dignitaries to rub shoulders with Mohammed bin Hammam, the Middle East businessman and current president of the Asian Football Confederation, but perhaps more importantly to England, one of the 24 strong committee members who will vote on which country hosts the 2018 World Cup Finals, of which England are making a bid. There is a downside to this however, Qatar are also bidding to stage the prestigious football tournament, so as I was saying…the exact point of staging this friendly in Qatar..? Oh yes… to further line the pockets of Kentaro and the Brazilian football team. I’m sure Roman Abramovich will be comforted by that thought.