The Arsenal defender has been ruled-out from the rest of the tournament after sustaining an injury during the last Group Stage match between Switzerland and South Korea, while there is a 50-50 chance that he might need to go into the surgery room.

A spokesman from Switzerland's medical team said that Philippe Senderos will have to stay out of action for at least two weeks, while he added that the full extent of his injury has yet to be determined, suggesting that he might have damaged his ligaments and might need to go into the surgery room.

Senderos dislocated his shoulder during the match but apparently did not realise the extent of his injury, which was revealed after his body started cooling off after the end of the match.

"There is a 50 percent chance he will require an operation but the most important thing is rest for now," Rudolf Roeder, one the team's doctors said.

Kobi Kuhn said that even though it is a "big blow" for his team, but added that one of his team's advantages was its ability to replace any player on the pitch, suggesting that Djourou Johan has proved he can replace the Arsenal defender.

More news on Philippe Senderos' injury will be made available from Arsenal, as he will be assessed by the team's doctors. If he requires surgery to restore his ligaments, Senderos might stay out of action for the rest of 2006, dealing a major blow to the Club's plans.

Arsene Wenger, who is linked with Spanish Club Real Madrid by it's presidential candidate Villar Mir, and Arsenal's management will add to FIFA's troubles distributing the £6 million insurance fund allocated for players injured during the tournament.

Newcastle United, Michael Owen's current employer, will be considered for compensation from that fund, as FIFA officials have confirmed. However, given the player's salary and the £17 million the Club has invested in getting the player from Real Madrid, FIFA's insurance policy is highly unlikely to really compensate for the financial damage done to both Clubs.

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