FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants new quota on foreign players

By RAF CASERT, AP Sports Writer
October 5, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter wants to reintroduce limits on foreigners playing in national leagues, a move which amounts to a direct challenge to European Union authorities.

By the 2010-11 league season, Blatter wants to have a system where a team's starting lineup would have six national players.



"This is a matter of principle," Blatter said Friday.

The EU embraces the principle of freedom of movement of workers, which should allow EU soccer players to seek employment wherever they want in the 27 member nations.

"You cannot compare a worker with a football player," said Blatter, calling sports professionals a unique case within the employment market.

From a mostly local game, soccer in Europe has become more multinational, with some clubs fielding no national player in big games. Blatter has said that apart from alienating fans, it also stifled the development of homegrown talent.

Soccer authorities and the EU have been at odds ever since the 1995 Bosman ruling at the EU's highest court, which forced free agency and free movement of players in the leagues.

"We had the Bosman ruling (12) years ago and president Blatter said footballers are not workers. They are workers according to EU law," EU Commission spokesman Frederic Vincent said.

Now Blatter wants the EU to give sports more leeway in running its own affairs.

"Football is strong enough to organize itself," Blatter said, arguing authorities should only interfere in stadium security, doping and issues such as corruption. The free movement of workers, though, is a cornerstone of the EU's treaty.

Blatter wants an article in a new EU treaty being discussed to underpin the special status and autonomy of sports, allowing it to not abide by the free-market principles of other sectors. Among other things, it would give plans to impose quotas on foreigners a chance of success.

He got backing from the International Olympic Committee on Friday. Ahead of the Oct. 18-19 EU summit of government leaders to discuss treaty reform, IOC president Jacques Rogge said "sport can play its unique role thanks to its autonomy."

"This role would be seriously compromised if sport governing bodies are subject to public interference," Rogge said in a statement.

Foreign investors are not necessarily a bad influence on clubs, Blatter said.

"As long as the money is correctly handled, then we have nothing to say against the ownership of foreign investors," he said.

There has been a spate of foreign takeovers recently, especially in England, where eight Premier League teams are currently in foreign hands. Some fear that after initial investment, many will pull out, leaving the clubs impoverished.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has said the foreign owners have brought a new professionalism to his league.

UEFA imposed conditions two seasons ago to introduce mandatory use of so-called homegrown players on teams -- players who have been trained at a local club or within a certain country for a number of years. Without specifically mentioning a nationality, it seeks to sidestep the EU rules.

"We need to have the courage to take these decisions," Blatter said during a conference call.

Blatter wants a new FIFA strategic committee to look into the issue next week, so that the executive committee later this month can send it on to the FIFA Congress in Sydney next May.

It would provide enough time to have it ready by 2010.

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if d 'home-grown' players dont get picked in their 'home' team then its simply becos theyre NOT gud enuf.besides,the 'foreign' players keepin dem out of the team arent they from other countries,or r they from MARS?If they dont play in their country den theyll develop sumwhere else.
i.e take france or holand 4 example. How can u say psv or lyon MUST start 6 'homegrown' players wen they hav young players like rvp,robben,sneijder,sagna,clichy,diaby etc developing and doin very wel in other countries.So wat r they tryn 2 achieve?i dont c y they wud deliberately reduce d standards of football.lets face it,the BAD overweighs the gud by far.

With this politics Blatter is playing, I dont know who he wants to please. Na England go suffer pass.

but i think it will be good for the national teams, at least we'll get better players from the younger teams, u never see players coming from arsenal under 14s teams to the top. they just get loaned and then sold. (okay ashley cole was there since he was 15) but think bout pennant, bentley, do u know ashley cole was an arsenal trainee.
there's always a bright side.believe me, some teams wil be better off.
and the national teams will be together most of the time.