Fifa today voted overwhelmingly in favour of president Sepp Blatter’s ’six-plus-five’ plan, which would limit the number of foreign players in a team to five.
Football’s world governing body wants to bring in the proposal by 2012/2013 but the European Commission says it is discriminatory and illegal.
Their president Sepp Blatter wants to restrict the number of foreign players in teams by the start in the 2010/11 season, with a minimum of four home-grown players.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick is unconvinced by the strategy and he said: “It’s about balance.
“We still believe in the meritocracy of players in the team on performance and on ability first and foremost.”
The Commission believes a quota on foreign footballers would be incompatible with European Union law which allows workers to move freely between member countries.
“We’re giving a red card to the rule,” said Vladimir Spidla, Europe’s Commissioner for Equal Opportunities.
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So, do you agree with Fifa ?
Do you think they can get it installed ? Will it improve our national team ?
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I heard, that, for example, Fabregas can be classed as a home grown player fro Arsenal as he has spent 4 years learning his trade there from being a 15/16 year old.
All it means is that clubs will buy up foreigners at a younger age surely?
In contrast, the "home-grown players" rule, which is set to be expanded from next season, has received EU backing.
That means four players in a Champions League or Uefa Cup squad must have been developed by the club, with another four having been produced by clubs from the same federation.
To be eligible, a player of any nationality must have been developed by the club for three years between the ages of 15 and 21.
It's quite funny that despite being told it would not hold up within the EU right from the start, Blatter has plodded along with his eyes shut and his fingers in his ears shouting "I can't hear you". I wonder how much it has cost in studies and conferences and legal bills to come to this pointless decision?
Make you right nug, but the greed merchants get around it somehow - like Manure putting young Africans in at Antwerp where the immigration regulations are not so strict as Britain, so they can get their EU qualifying period in over there.
Problem is that as already stated it is illegal in the EU.
So, it was said, was the transfer system. But that still seems to chug along with only minimal changes.
On a selfish note as a Charlton fan I want to see good young players coming thru but that includes those from the Ivory Coast that we've done the deal on.
but he has a point on this one to a certain extent.
Firstly I don't buy this foreigners are stopping English players coming through or affecting the national sides. The problem is the players coming out of the academys aren't as good as their foreign counterparts, young English players aren't getting a game becuase they're not upto the standard. Simple. Why would any club bring in a foreigner if they had a young player on lower wages at a similar ability? Those English players that do get a game are normally the cream of the crop, we might be producing less English players at the top level but those that do come through the ranks are of a much higher quality than a few years ago. By artificially lowering the quality of the league you're not bringing through any better English players, just more of a lower quality, who you wouldn't want playing for the country anyway! Italy won the last world cup, yet Inter Milan reguarly fielded 11 foreigners in competitions this year!
Seconly - I'm not sure even if Blatter understands why he wants to implement this! The deranged fool was banging on about it being for the benefit of national sides last year - but strangely didn’t include Scotland, Irish and Welsh players in the premiership counting as foreign players, so surely by his argument they are as much a hinderance to English players than those players from elsewhere? Fast forward a year or so and it’s now to make competitions more competitive? How does he actually think think that artificially cutting down the size of the player pool will make a league more competitive? The best players be it foreign or English will just sign for the top four sides, in fact it will arguably make the top four stronger and the rest of the league weaker as the best English players are now in more demand. So please explain how exactly will the likes of West Ham losing Ashton to Man Utd, Villa losing Barry to Liverpool, Blackburn losing Bentley to Arsenal, Newcastle losing Owen to Chelsea will make the league more competitive?!
If Blatter was genuinely concerned with making things more competitive, he perhaps needs to look into the redistribution of wealth amongst sides not meddling with who the teams field on a match day.
good points T
I agree that a good player will always get a game but I wonder if the ease and cheapness of signing a proven overseas player means that less time and money is spent on developing home grown youngsters.
As you say the real problem is the unequal distribution of wealth. Whatever the set up the mega-rich club will be able to buy a way around it.
if there was say 1,000 pro footballers but 50% of those pro footballers where now made up of "forign players" then there is less opertunity. The counter arguement (Free market economy) is that in order for you to beat the compettion (in this case the "forign players") then you will have to be a better than them. So you could agrue that there will be less English players coming through but they will be better quality.
Of course they have to be given the same chance as the "forign players" and in todays football climate time is not something anyone gets.
But are overseas players really a cheaper or easier option?
The top sides don't want top pay £30million for the foreign finished article if they can pick the player up for £1million as a 15 year old and develop the player into the player they want. Looking at us, we spend a decent chunk of money on Racon yet towards the end of the season Shelvey was playing because he's the better player maybe he's cost us the same amount of money to develop but it's been spread out over 5-10 years.
No football manager would pick a player based on nationality, they would pick the best player for the position.
lol.
T got it spot on I think