By MATT STYPULKOSKI

Now that FIFA has laid out its plans for a November-December World Cup in 2022, the European Club Association is speaking up.

The association’s chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, said Tuesday that European clubs should be compensated for losses as a result of the scheduling change, if it indeed comes to fruition.

“All match calendars across the world will have to accommodate such tournament in 2022/23, which requires everyone’s willingness to compromise,” Rummenigge said in a statement. “However, the European clubs and leagues cannot be expected to bear the costs for such rescheduling. We expect the clubs to be compensated for the damage that a final decision would cause.”

The English Premier League’s Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, also spoke out against the proposed schedule change in a statement released on Tuesday: “It is clear that the views of the European leagues, along with the numerous other competitions globally that will be negatively affected, have not been given serious consideration throughout this process.”

UEFA, on the other hand, has come out in support of the decision, saying that it, “sees no major issues in rescheduling its competitions for the 2022/23 season, should the 2022 FIFA World Cup proposal be approved by the FIFA Executive Committee.”

Here are some more of Tuesday afternoon’s news and notes:

MATIC BAN REDUCED TO TWO GAMES

Chelsea’s appeal to reduce Nemanja Matic’s ban following a red card against Burnley this weekend has been successful, but only slightly.

The red card, which was given for shoving Ashley Barnes after a dangerous tackle form the Burnley player, originally garnered a three-match suspension. But on Tuesday, the English FA’s Independent Regulatory commission has dropped the punishment down to two games.

“The violent response of Mr. Matic to the nature of the tackle cannot be condoned and does not vindicate his subsequent actions,” Roger Burden, Chairman of the Regulatory Commission, said in a statement. “The members of the Commission did, however, accept the mitigation in respect of the level of force used by Mr. Matic and the nature of the contact he made with Mr. Barnes of Burnley FC.

“Having made those considerations we determined that the standard punishment of a three-match suspension would be clearly excessive and, therefore, ordered that the suspension be reduced to two matches.”

The red card was just one of several major decisions – including not punishing Barnes’ tackle that led to Matic’s retaliation – made in the 1-1 draw. In the aftermath, referee Martin Atkinson was criticized by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, pundits and fans alike.

But Steve Greaves, the Premier League’s delegate overseeing Atkinson at the match, has since backed all of the major decisions, believing the referee got them correct.

EPL CLUBS SEEING INCREASE IN SHIRT SPONSOR REVENUE

Shirt sponsorship revenues are up all around Europe, but Premier League clubs are seeing the biggest increases.

Since last season, the EPL has seen a 36 percent increase in income from shirt sponsorships in large measure due to Manchester United’s new $70 million deal with Chevrolet. Meanwhile, La Liga has seen a 30 percent increase.

Serie A (21 percent), Ligue 1 (13 percent) and the Bundesliga (nine percent) all saw increases as well, though growth in those leagues was more modest.

Interestingly, MLS has now overtaken the Dutch Eredivisie with $55.8 million worth of sponsorship deals.

RAHEEM STERLING NEARING NEW DEAL AT LIVERPOOL

Negotiations that have been playing out between Raheem Sterling and Liverpool may finally be reaching their end.

The 20-year-old winger said Tuesday that he is nearing a deal with the club. That new deal would see a significant increase over his current £70,000 ($108,211) per week wage.

“We’re working on it and hopefully it will be sorted soon,” Sterling told The Daily Star.

QUICK KICKS

Barcelona president says Lionel Messi never asked for Sergio Aguero to be purchased by the club. (REPORT)

Arsene Wenger is expecting a difficult match against Champions League-foe Monaco. (REPORT)

Swansea club director John van Zweden is  under fire for comments made about Louis van Gaal. (REPORT)

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Should European clubs receive compensation if the World Cup is moved to the winter?What do you think of Matic’s ban? Are you surprised by the big increase in shirt sponsorship revenue?

Share your thoughts below.