World Cup Watch: Contractual tug-of-war may help Griezmann
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) — Less could be more for Antoine Griezmann going into the World Cup. The France forward has been getting few minutes with Atlético Madrid because of a unique contractual dispute with Barcelona. But he may end up being one of the few players arriving fresh for the tournament in November because his World Cup spot is not really in danger. Griezmann has been on the bench at Atlético while it reportedly tries to avoid having to pay Barcelona $40.5 million if he plays more than 45 minutes on average during his loan. Atlético coach Diego Simeone has used the forward only after the 60-minute mark in all six of the team’s matches.