Fifa president Sepp Blatter is intent on persuading
European lawmakers to enable limits to be imposed on overseas
players appearing for club sides. Blatter says his "six plus five"
plan - six homegrown players per team - can succeed if Fifa
convince the European Union to create an exceptional
ruling.
"European law cannot rule the world as far as football is
concerned," he said. Current EU law prevents quotas being imposed
as it considers them to be "direct discrimination". Blatter's
proposal is to be debated at the Fifa congress in Sydney next May.
But for it to be implemented, the new EU treaty currently being
formulated by member states, would have to include an exceptional
ruling for sport.
Yet a spokesman for the European Commission - the EU's executive
branch - told BBC Sport earlier this month that the freedom of
movement legislation will not be altered and that no exceptions are
to be granted. Blatter remains undeterred and before Sunday's draw
for the preliminary round of the 2010 World Cup finals, said Fifa
must "convince the purists in the application of European
law".
He continued: "Can FIFA impose a quota system worldwide for the
better development of national team players? "The answer is
definitely yes, if there is the will and determination of the FIFA
Congress. "But football has the opportunity now to deal with this
problem. A lot of people around the world are saying, yes please do
it, even the owners of the clubs are saying this."
Blatter claimed the EU is to adopt a number of processes to "stop
the overwhelming presence of non-national players in club leagues"
in its new Reform Treaty. The debate about imposing limits on
overseas players has intensified recently, with particular focus on
the English Premier League after the national team's 3-2 loss to
Croatia which eliminated them from Euro 2008.
Blatter has also warned of the threat of naturalised Brazilian
'invaders' playing for other countries. Some countries only require
players to be resident for two years before handing them passports,
such as Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva, who plays for Croatia.
"If we don't stop this farce, if we don't take care about the
invaders from Brazil towards Europe, Asia and Africa then, in the
2014 or the 2018 World Cup, out of the 32 teams you will have 16
full of Brazilian players," he said.
"This is a real, real danger. Two years is definitely not enough.
In Brazil there are 60 million football players; every third person
kicks the ball."
