Fifa vote for 'six-plus-five'

[coco]

Fifa have voted in favour of the 'six-plus-five' rule which would place restrictions on foreign players.

The president of football's world governing body, Sepp Blatter, hopes to see the initiative implemented by the 2012/13 season.

The ruling would limit the number of overseas players any one team can field in their starting XI to just five.

Fifa have grown increasingly concerned by the number of foreign stars infiltrating Europe's top leagues, with the English Premier League sounded out as the most obvious example.

Despite fears from the European Union that the introduction of the rule would contravene freedom of movement regulations, Blatter insists that Fifa would proceed "within the limits of the law".

Balance

"It's to make sure that there is better balance in the competitions and not only three or four teams in a league of 18 or 20 are fighting to be the champion and all the others are just there to not be relegated," said Blatter.

"As (Newcastle manager) Kevin Keegan recently said: 'I can only start my season to fight to be fifth or sixth or seventh. It is impossible for me to go into the final four'.

"At the end of the Champions League in Europe you have in the quarter-finals four teams of the same association; in the semi-finals three of these teams.

"Then in the final you are surprised that you have two teams of the same association?

"We want to bring some remedies and this is the six-plus-five rule's objective."

Incompatible

While Fifa are keen to push on with the idea, Uefa are still calling for a rival 'home-grown' player system to be introduced.

Uefa defines 'home-grown players' as team members who, regardless of age or nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the National Association for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21.

The EU have already given their backing to this concept as it contains no conditions based on nationality and would prefer to see Fifa back down with their controversial proposal.

"Compared with the intentions announced by FIFA to impose the so-called '6-plus-5 rule', which is directly discriminatory and therefore incompatible with the EU law, the 'home-grown players' rule proposed by UEFA seems to me to be proportionate and to comply with the principle of free movement of workers," said EU Commissioner Vladimir Spidla.

SOURCE

[coco]

Pathetic.

UEFA have moved the posts again.

UEFA realised the 'home grown rule' (which has gone on the back burner) wouldnt stop the big 2 English clubs at all, so thier trying to move the goal posts again by implementing a 'six-plus-five' ruling.

All based on 2 years champions league final standings, and on over glorified Geordie sympathizer moaning 'it isnt fair', not forgetting the HATRED UEFA have for the English.

I hope this comes back to bite them, but then again they'll just move the goal posts again.

[Gem]

I take it its the same for the Italians, Spanish, French, Dutch, German sides? (I genuinally don't know, but I'm guessing it is)

Okay, 6 home grown...

JT

Lamps

A. Cole

J. Cole

SWP will probably leave, and so may Bridge.

So, seeing as being English adds £10m onto your value, surely only the rich will benefit?

That said, does it mean home grown as in a product of our youth system? From what age would you officially qualify then? If it's any less than 16 then Arsenal would have a huge problem, known poachers, but the media seem to think it's all their own work.

If anyone would like to dumb it down for lil ol me I'd be grateful.

[ethicalstrategy]

Only JT would count as "home grown" from that lot.

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

[Gem]

Can you tell I had a detailed read? Thanks ES.

Well... We've got some promising players [maybe not world class, but better than a few years ago] - Di Santo, Woods, Hutchinson, Sinclair, Sahar, Mancienne, Cork, Tejera, Stoch and Kakuta.

Our scouting system will have to work overtime.

[bonetti]

Pathetic.

UEFA have moved the posts again.

UEFA realised the 'home grown rule' (which has gone on the back burner) wouldnt stop the big 2 English clubs at all, so thier trying to move the goal posts again by implementing a 'six-plus-five' ruling.

All based on 2 years champions league final standings, and on over glorified Geordie sympathizer moaning 'it isnt fair', not forgetting the HATRED UEFA have for the English.

I hope this comes back to bite them, but then again they'll just move the goal posts again.

I think you might be a bit confused - I think it is Fifa that is pushing the 6+5 which the EU have declared illegal and it is Uefa pushing the Home Grown rule that the EU 'can find no objection to'

Or is it me that is confused - in any case L'arse are farked

[coco]

Pathetic.

UEFA have moved the posts again.

UEFA realised the 'home grown rule' (which has gone on the back burner) wouldnt stop the big 2 English clubs at all, so thier trying to move the goal posts again by implementing a 'six-plus-five' ruling.

All based on 2 years champions league final standings, and on over glorified Geordie sympathizer moaning 'it isnt fair', not forgetting the HATRED UEFA have for the English.

I hope this comes back to bite them, but then again they'll just move the goal posts again.

I think you might be a bit confused - I think it is Fifa that is pushing the 6+5 which the EU have declared illegal and it is Uefa pushing the Home Grown rule that the EU 'can find no objection to'

Or is it me that is confused - in any case L'arse are farked

The home grown rule is ok, were set up much better now with the academy, we should be able to deal with this better than anyone else.

So the 6+5 rule is illegal within the EU, so only members from within the EU will be exempt ?

That will affect La Liga and Serie A more than the premiership imo.

Now we will get all Brazilians making out theyre Spanish with dodgy forged documents to prove the point.

[heckel]

The problem with this regulation is that although it is sound in principle, it will lead to new issues and the need for further regulation. However, this may actually benefit diversity in football, though with the financial muscle of the major clubs it's hard to predict how they will move to now secure their monopolies. Generally speaking I think this is a good move.

I envisage this unfolding in two stages over the next decade or so:

1) Clubs exponentially multiply their investment in their youth set-up and start farming the world for young talent at an unprecedented intensity. Outrage comes from other nations when youngsters lives, and often careers are ruined from premature dislocation, as well as the fact that they lose their best players as they take on foreign nationality (though this latter eventuality rests on the how FIFA negotiates EU labour laws).

2) Further regulation is introduced by FIFA in that severely limits the ability of clubs to take on youth players from foreign countries, moving the age limit from 17 to, say, 21 (this would be structurally necessary, though again clubs may get around this by appeal to labour laws).

If things unfolded in this way I would say this would be a real step forward for global football. It would been the strengthening of national leagues around the world as big clubs could no longer excessively harvest football talent and wantonly spit out any players who fall by the wayside. Rather local leagues would need to become stronger and would no doubt be strengthened by investment from big clubs keen to make sure that the foreign players on their books are absolutely top-grade.

I'd be in favour of global consortiums of clubs, whereby Chelsea had investment in, say, a Russian club, an African league, smaller clubs in Euro leagues, Asian clubs etc - in which they would boost training facilities and oversee the development of talent, rather than scrambling to pick up the 'freak' footballer for outrageous sums of $. I know this kind of thing is already in the works, but this first step in regulation might help consolidate this and build a much more sustainable footballing world order.

[bonetti]

So Agents for players aged 5 then?

[coco]

It looks as if they will use the '6+5' rule under the guise of the 'home grown' rule.

6 home grown players (players of any nationality who must have been developed by the club for a minimum of three years between the ages of 15yo and 21yo) + 5 of any other nationallity.

However that doesnt mean it will help young English talent.

[coco]

Taylor queries Fifa proposal:

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor does not believe it will be possible for Fifa to enforce their controversial 'six-plus-five' plan.

Fifa have voted in favour of a rule which would restrict the number of foreign players in any starting XI to a maximum of five, with the rest of the side made up of players eligible for the national team.

Sepp Blatter's proposal has been opposed in many quarters because it contravenes European Union regulations on freedom of movement, and Uefa have put forward slightly different ideas.

Uefa are calling for a 'home-grown' player system to be introduced, meaning that clubs would have to include players who, regardless of age or nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the National Association for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21.

Taylor believes that action needs to be taken to address the issue and to make sure that English youngsters get more of a chance, but he is in support of Uefa's plan rather than Fifa's.

"We are very much aware of the decreasing number of players qualified to play for England and it is one of the reasons why we have the embarrassment of not having England at Euro 2008," Taylor told Sky Sports News.

"But in Europe you cannot discriminate on the grounds of nationality so we have to really look at the Uefa proposal and say that not only should we have eight players in as squad of 25 that have been developed in a country or club irrespective of nationality, but to have them on the field of play.

Next generation

"I'm not saying it should be eight but the figure should at least be four to encourage clubs to develop players for the next generation.

"That would put all clubs on a level playing field.

"It may well be that clubs look at bringing in youngsters from abroad , but it would at least focus them on developing players and at the moment they haven't got the patience to be doing that.

"We would be very much in favour of the Uefa criteria being developed further because the European Commission has indicated they would go ahead with that because focus is on youth development irrespective of nationality.

"That would give English opportunities at least the opportunities to succeed."

Not possible

Taylor is not sure what Fifa hope to achieve by voting for the 'six-plus-five' rule and feels they should alter their plans.

He explained: "The fact is that club football is so cosmopolitan that you can't really roll back time. They have to look realistically at the law and that is why I think they must look at the Uefa criteria.

"I think it is posturing and tilting at windmills. I think it is just to reinforce the point but I am not sure what they are aiming for.

"It's like standing up and saying we are in favour of removing all income tax. Everybody would say 'yes that's great but by the way that's not possible'."

[coco]

FA keen to explore '6+5' rule

The Football Association have voted in favour of further exploration into Fifa's much-maligned 'six-plus-five' rule which would see a restriction on the number of foreign players allowed in starting XIs.

The president of world football's governing body, Sepp Blatter, is keen to see the initiative implemented in time for the 2012/13 season but had seen his plans meet by widespread concern.

However, having presented the concept at Fifa's Congress in Sydney this week he has received overwhelming support.

The FA, along with many of their European counterparts, have asked for Uefa to work with Fifa in order to explore how the proposal could be introduced, but have backed the idea in theory.

Reservations

A spokesman for the FA said: "Bringing through more high-quality English players in the future is an absolute priority for the FA.

"One of our reservations has always been that the 'six-plus-five' rule appears to contravene European law and we welcome further exploration of its legality.

"However, this is a question of balance and we believe first and foremost in a meritocracy system, where players appear in club teams based on performance and ability.

"This is at the core of our coach and player development strategy over the coming years."

SOURCE

[Bridgeboy]

The whole thing will never come into action, it is just Blatter creating an excuse for another banquet/free lunch in which to dicuss something utterly pointless. PIPE DREAM !

[blueday3]

I doubt this will solve any problem they think it will. Just because there are going to be more Englishman playing on the squad doesn't mean that the big clubs won't remain dominant. Now all the good English players will just flock to the big clubs leaving the lower clubs with even less, there is only so much professional talent in England.

[dkw]

surely this will have the opposite effect to what their after. all that will happen is clubs will samp their acadamys with as many foreign kids as possible, hoping they get a few through and making it even more difficult for english lads to come through. also, any decent english players price will rocket, meaning only the top 3 or 4 can afford them, thus taking the talent away from the lesser clubs. they really havent thought this through.

[TheWestwayWonder]

all I can say is, as annoyed as we are, they must be LIVID over at Arsenal

If you force them to field English players in a certain percentage of their squad, a commodity they have never been astute in getting value for money for under Wenger, their entire team philosophy will be up the spout

Can you imagine a midfield of Fabregas-Hleb-Rosicky, with some pylon added in because they need to meet the quota? It would f**k the whole thing up

[coco]

It'll probably be phased in over a few years. I think it starts next season actually.

[blizeH]

It'll just make the gap between the rich and poor clubs even more apparent. Take Arsenal for example, if the rule comes in, they'll be completely screwed.

To an extent so will Manchester United and Chelsea, but both teams would really just have to make a few big signings for it not to effect them that much, players like Bentley, Barry, Johnson, Downing, Hart, Ashton etc will be snapped up by big clubs very quickly I reckon.

[blueday3]

and it will make sure none of my countrymen will get into the premier league

Fulham are in barney (sorry English people I really wanted to say it)

[TomP]

Just a question - who exactly (other than crazy Sepp Blatter) is going to be happy with EITHER a 6+5 rule, or the "homegrown" rule?

I'm not sure exactly who benefits.

I think it will actively decrease the standard of top leagues like the Premership and La Liga. If the 6+5 goes ahead, what will basically happen is that clubs will replace Premier-League standard international players with Championship-standard English players.

It is not going to change the rich club/poor club balance - I would bet my bottom dollar that the best talent will still end up at one of the big four clubs.

All it will do is astronomically inflate the transfer fees for either decent English players (if they go with the FIFA option) or 14, 15 and 16 year old players (if they go with the UEFA option).

And I don't think it will increase the standard of international football - if that is the reason behind it. The talent pool to choose from is exactly the same size. Having more English players playing in a reduced-standard league isn't going to make the England XI at the world cup any better or worse.

[JT26CFC]

my thoughts exactly TomP. England has the top league in the world (not being biased or anything) and I don't see the good that can come out of this. If english clubs choose to play 11 international players, well that's thier decision.

[Lofty]

I think it will actively decrease the standard of top leagues like the Premership and La Liga. If the 6+5 goes ahead, what will basically happen is that clubs will replace Premier-League standard international players with Championship-standard English players.

It is not going to change the rich club/poor club balance - I would bet my bottom dollar that the best talent will still end up at one of the big four clubs.

And then teams will be picked on nationality rather than on merit. How can that be good for the game in any way shape of form? We might, for instance, be forced to play SWP over Kalou or Malouda jusdt to meet the quota, even though SWP might (remember this is all hypothetical) be going through his worst ever patch, and Malouda at the top of his game.

All it will do is astronomically inflate the transfer fees for either decent English players (if they go with the FIFA option) or 14, 15 and 16 year old players (if they go with the UEFA option).

I imagine there would be a similar effect on prices of home grown players in all the other big leagues. There would also,in all likelihood, be a decrease in the import of South American players into La Liga and Serie A.

And I don't think it will increase the standard of international football - if that is the reason behind it. The talent pool to choose from is exactly the same size. Having more English players playing in a reduced-standard league isn't going to make the England XI at the world cup any better or worse.

When English clubs were banned from Europe there were comparatively few (ok there were a hell of a lot less) foreign players, but the England national team weren't exactly setting the world on fire. What actually happened was that lack of contact with European teams set the game in England backwards, and it's taken all this time, admittedly helped no end by an influx of foreign players, for the English game to catch up.

I did hear that the strict letter of the proposed law would only apply to the starting 11, meaning that clubs would be free to make 1 - 3 substitutions within minutes of the kickoff. The dangers of this are surely too obvious to need any kind of in-depth explanation. So what next? An increase in the numer of substitutes allowed?

The more I think of it, the crazier the whole thing seems. But then you only have to look at who came up with the damn fool scheme in the first place.

[coco]

It aint happening fullstop.

Free Movement of Workers and the Principle of Equal Treatment

Every citizen of the EU has the right to work and live in another Member State without being discriminated against on grounds of nationality.

Free movement of persons is one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by Community law. It is perhaps the most important right under Community law for individuals, and an essential element of European citizenship.

Fifa would have more chance of getting the pope to play for Rangers.