Blatter to step up Euro quota bid

[AFII]

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has told the BBC he is ready to challenge the European Union to get a quota on foreign players within European teams.

Blatter made his comments in response to an NOP poll of football fans for BBC1's Football Focus.

He wants clubs to be limited to five foreigners in their starting XI to allow homegrown talent to flourish.

The proposal contravenes EU law but Blatter says football needs to act and says a reduction "is a good solution".

The 71-year-old Swiss argues that football deserves special treatment because it is not like any other job.

"Workers in Europe can circulate freely but footballers are not workers," he said.

"You cannot consider a footballer like any normal worker because you need 11 to play a match - and they are more artists than workers."

BBC Sport revealed last month just how much the number of foreigners plying their trade in the Premier League had increased since 1992 and the Football Association has already expressed its concern over the impact that has had on home-grown players.

Now Football Focus has shown that fans have concerns, too.

When asked if there should be a quota of foreign players per club in the English Premier League, 56% of the 1055 people surveyed said they were in favour.

The EU has recently unveiled plans to impose more regulations on football and says the sport should only have limited immunity from rules governing employment.

However, Blatter says he is ready to fight any EU move.

"Football has never had the courage to go against this practice," he said.

"When you have 11 foreigners in a team, this is not good for the development of football, for the education of young players, and there is a financial aspect, too."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...us/7028310.stm

[Guest]

Read that this morning. He's getting on a bit Blatter isn't it ? 71 ? FFS, he should retire soon.

[dom9]

He has no chance with this.

Footballers are workers. They are paid to work.

[Kenneth]

Complete dick.

""You cannot consider a footballer like any normal worker because you need 11 to play a match - and they are more artists than workers."

""Football has never had the courage to go against this practice," he said." - It's not a matter of courage, it's because it's clearly illegal and a complete waste of time. Someone put the guy out of his misery.

[Le Chef]

Too be honest I agree with him - I'd rather see at least 6 homegrown players ideally from the North West than turn into Arsenal where none of the starting eleven come from the UK

[Guest]

Too be honest I agree with him - I'd rather see at least 6 homegrown players ideally from the North West than turn into Arsenal where none of the starting eleven come from the UK

It will devalue and lower the level of the premier league.

[dww]

I hope the EU tells them to **** off. I really don't see why the law shouldn't apply to football too. The answer has to be to enforce a level of investment (maybe a % of turnover) in the community/youth football thus meaning that teams will want to make the best use of this money which then can't be spent on new players from far and wide.

Europe wide rules to stop say the top English teams poaching Spanish youth such as Fabregas (and others we have done) would help.

[AFII]

I hope the EU tells them to **** off. I really don't see why the law shouldn't apply to football too. The answer has to be to enforce a level of investment (maybe a % of turnover) in the community/youth football thus meaning that teams will want to make the best use of this money which then can't be spent on new players from far and wide.

Europe wide rules to stop say the top English teams poaching Spanish youth such as Fabregas (and others we have done) would help.

It would also help if they removed the 75 best country rule when it comes down to a work permit and that you must have played a % of the games for your country the last years.

Two clearly illegal rules if you are after the same rules in football as you have in other jobs.

[dww]

It would also help if they removed the 75 best country rule when it comes down to a work permit and that you must have played a % of the games for your country the last years.

Two clearly illegal rules if you are after the same rules in football as you have in other jobs.

They are not illegal and are infact perfectly sensible in the context of what actually happens. The idea about a work permit (the rules on this are UK only as opposed to at EU level) is that if you meet those criteria you get a permit automatically which just speeds things along. Otherwise a club has to show to a panel that the player would benefit the game in the UK. This is the same sort of subjective criteria used to allow skilled workers work permits as far as I understand the matter (as opposed to people who get short term leave to work in the country such as those who work as farm labourers).

Also how would getting rid of these criteria help teams to have more locally produced players?

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

He's got no chance getting that through Strasbourg.

[Joe King]

He has nil chance versus the Frogs

[AFII]

They are not illegal and are infact perfectly sensible in the context of what actually happens. The idea about a work permit (the rules on this are UK only as opposed to at EU level) is that if you meet those criteria you get a permit automatically which just speeds things along. Otherwise a club has to show to a panel that the player would benefit the game in the UK. This is the same sort of subjective criteria used to allow skilled workers work permits as far as I understand the matter (as opposed to people who get short term leave to work in the country such as those who work as farm labourers).

Also how would getting rid of these criteria help teams to have more locally produced players?

It wouldn't help teams to have more locally produced players.

My point was more aimed at that a player from two different countries should have the same chance to get a work permit.

For example if two players want a work permit, one from Brazil and the other one from Malta, both of them are equally good and both of them have played the same number of times for your national team.

Then the player from Brazil would get a work permit just because he is from Brazil and the other player wouldn't get it because other players from Malta isn't good enough but he is good enough himself.

The young player from Brazil would get it tougher because Brazil produces more excellent players than Malta, even that he himself is good enough.

Just two very stupid rules.

IMO of course.

[Red Chilli]

Personally, and I haven't thought it through completely, I hope he succeeds. I doubt it, why would football be trested any differently, but you never know.

I think it would improve the game in the longterm.

[Parm]

I hope the EU tells them to **** off. I really don't see why the law shouldn't apply to football too. The answer has to be to enforce a level of investment (maybe a % of turnover) in the community/youth football thus meaning that teams will want to make the best use of this money which then can't be spent on new players from far and wide.

Europe wide rules to stop say the top English teams poaching Spanish youth such as Fabregas (and others we have done) would help.

as always well put squire

[kurtangle01]

He's got no chance of putting this through. The law says that foreigners are entitled to work abroad and there's absolutely nothing that Blatter can do to change that.