Europe's top clubs will send FIFA a formal letter of protest next week as part of a determined bid not to end up as losers when the club-versus-country dispute arises again.
Representatives from a number of leading clubs including Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Juventus met in Geneva this afternoon to discuss the fall-out from the row over France's friendly next weekend in Australia.
Arsenal and Football Association vice-chairman David Dein, who organised the meeting, said the clubs "reluctantly agreed" to release their players for the friendly, which involves a 48-hour round trip, but were furious with the way FIFA had apparently changed their rules.
Dein said: "There will be a formal protest by the clubs next week to FIFA regarding certain sensitive issues which need to be addressed to ensure that situations such as this do not reoccur.
"The clubs have reluctantly agreed to release the players but they unanimously expressed disappointment at the outcome of discussions of the France v Australia game, and that the French Football Federation refused the opportunity offered by FIFA's own compromise."
The clubs are intent that this point marks a watershed in such disputes and that they have been galvanised into taking action to ensure they do not end up being dictated to by national sides again where friendly matches are concerned.
What particularly infuriated the clubs was that a document sent out by FIFA in August, known as "the infamous circular 769", said that until the end of this year players would only have to be released for five friendlies and that from January that number would rise to eight.
As most French players had already played at least five, the clubs believed they would not be forced to released them for the Australia game. But FIFA, according to the clubs and European governing body UEFA, performed a U-turn in favour of the national sides.
"The previous rule was clearly stated in August and now FIFA have countermanded that," added Dein. "The confusion surrounding FIFA's own document has not been helpful."
PA