More than 400 players, the bulk of them based in Europe, have applied for financial assistance under a scheme set up by world governing body FIFA.
There have been 441 applications so far to the FIFA Fund for Football Players (FFP), claiming unpaid wages from clubs.
Eighty-nine per cent of those who applied were with clubs in Europe, with the remaining 11 per cent in other parts of the world.
Players can apply until the end of June via world players’ union, FIFPRO.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has set aside £12.3m to help players who go unpaid between 2020-2022. A further £3.8m has been set aside for players who went unpaid between 2015-2020.
The funds, which were set-up in February this year before football’s global shutdown due to the corona-virus pandemic, are designed to help players whose clubs go out of business to avoid paying wages and are then quickly reformed, giving previous employees no chance to reclaim what they are owed.
Grants from the Fund for Football Players will not, according to the governing body, cover the full amount of salary owed but will at least provide players with a safety net.
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