EC strikes blow to Blatter's plan for foreign players quota
Wednesday, 20 Feb 2008 14:40
EC against Fifa president Sepp Blatter's foreign player quota plans.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter's plans to introduce a quota on the number of foreign players would not be permitted by the European Commission (EC).
Blatter has argued for a 'six plus five' rule in which domestic teams would be forced to include no more than five non-nationals in their match-day sides.
But according to an EC statement, his proposals would violate European Union (EU) trade regulations.
"The implementation by Fifa of a six plus five rule in the European Union would violate EU law," a spokesman told the BBC.
"The commission is not considering any change to allow Fifa to push forward this idea. Fifa is aware of this fact."
Blatter plans to submit his plans to the Fifa Congress, which meets in Sydney, Australia on May 29th and 30th, and had hoped to convince bodies such as the EU that the sport-specific nature of his scheme would allow its implementation due to a reference to sport in a new European treaty.
However the EC has said such a conclusion is "extremely unlikely".
"It would appear that the wording of the new provision on sport in the treaty is causing Mr Blatter and colleagues to conclude that the quota idea may yet see implementation because the new treaty also mentions the 'specificity of sport'," the spokesman added.
"It is extremely unlikely that the new treaty provision on sport would lead to a new legal situation.
"Hence, a system of quotas based on nationality, as proposed by Blatter, is illegal under the current acquis and will remain illegal under the new treaty."
Blatter believes domestic clubs have gradually lost their identity over the last decades, due to an increasing number of foreign players being signed.