FIFA head Blatter calls for league team limits

[Grande]

FIFA head Blatter calls for league team limits
Yahoo! Sports
 
March 2, 2006
BERLIN  - FIFA president Sepp Blatter has stated his desire to implement a radical proposal that would limit Europe's domestic leagues to a maximum of 16 teams.

In an interview with Germany's Bild newspaper Thursday, the 69-year-old Blatter also hinted that he would push for greater restrictions on foreign players in these leagues at next year's FIFA Congress.

"Ideally, each national league would have 16 teams," Blatter said. "At our congress in 2007 we will discuss this, as the market and the players cannot cope with so much football."
 
The Bundesliga currently has 18 teams, while the top leagues in Spain, England, Italy and France have 20.

Blatter believes most clubs are tired of playing so many games, and indicated that a ruling could be passed that forced the federations to comply with the reduction.

"FIFA can stipulate it and it is the wish of many clubs, but the FIFA need to order it otherwise it will never happen," he said.

Zurich-born Blatter also suggested that foreign players are taking precedence over home-grown talent at many clubs in Germany and England.

On several occasions, Bundesliga and Premiership teams have been composed entirely of foreigners, a situation Blatter brands as "dangerous."  

"We have to return to a point where, in the Bundesliga for example, there are at least six German players in each team," Blatter said. "Six plus five is the formula for the future."

Blatter long has wanted a reduction in the European fixture list, and in 2003 his demand to limit the size of European leagues was roundly rejected by the national associations.

 
 

[freakazoid]

dangerous 4 whom? lets face it dis is the #1 sport in the world the best leagues in the world will try to attract the best footballers and as far as i can see the best footballers are coming from all over d world.  mr blatter sir in dis globalisation era u taking ah step back. limitations are being removed from exports and imports in all markets y u want to bring it back 4 football . u geting me upSEPP they...... ah mean upset

[E-man]

Lol. The population in Europe is shrinking! The birthrate is way less than 2 in Germany. How are they going to find enough domestic players in the future? Sepp, the quota idea won't fly.

http://www.overpopulation.com/articles/2003/000021.html

[bryonji]

Some teams does actually overdo....it look at the Arsenal Real Madrid CL game..arsenal had no english player on de team....dat nuh right yuh representin the english premier league
Prior to the Roman Abramovich era...chelsea used to play nuff game without english players on de team....sometimes the only english man was graeme le saux.
Teams go foreign cuz de players cheaper....look how much arsenal had to pay for theo walcott 12 million, that is why teams go abroad

[dcs]

He complaining about something they can do nothing about because of EU laws.

And it don't really make sense to do something to bring down the standard of the leagues jus so it have more englishmen or germans.
If they not good enough they will play in the lower leagues or on smaller sides or in leagues outside their home country.
It actually benefits everyone (in Europe).

Leave International football to "represent" countries.

[Grande]

dangerous 4 whom? lets face it dis is the #1 sport in the world the best leagues in the world will try to attract the best footballers and as far as i can see the best footballers are coming from all over d world.  mr blatter sir in dis globalisation era u taking ah step back. limitations are being removed from exports and imports in all markets y u want to bring it back 4 football . u geting me upSEPP they...... ah mean upset

Well said there. And I agree with dcs to leave international football to represent countries. The best football teams have players with diverse nationalities and backgrounds, uniting to form a boss team. This is one of the great advantages of globalization, and I am disappointed with Blatter that he'd say something like this is "dangerous". You will just close up people more and great more bias / division with this kinda mentality.

[rippin]

Everybody have nice points. I sure John Williams would love these opinions. 

[freakazoid]

the spanish league has non-european restrictions no more than 4 per team i believe but clubs are getting round that by letting their non-european playas gain spanish citzenship messi and carlos are two of the lastest to gain spanish citzenship. carlos did it to allow robinho to join madrid. the faact that the clubs going through all this says something

[ANC2]

Blatter is an Ass. nearly everytime he talk he does talk assness.

Blatter: "we want less football" His action he adds on a World Club Championship. FIFA see club football as making serious $$$$ so dem jump on board.

Blatter "players should be carded for removing their shirt in celebration." When a referee send off a man who had a yellow already for taking off he shirt Blatter say "referee should have use common sense."

[pardners]

Guys, I beg to differ somewhat... ah plenty men doh really like Blatter, but look at the benefits..

Firstly most of the clubs complaining about too much football and competitions, and is because the leagues so crowded.  Them same 20 teams have at least three competitions between deyself, and the league alone is 38 games.  When yuh add that to practice games, exhibitions etc is real football.  I remember since Maradona was playing for Napoli he complaining 'bout too much football.  He say he does play an average of 126 games a season for club alone, so you have to forgive him if he have a couple bad games.

Next thing is that the big clubs making all the money through TV rights and it really hard to market the smaller clubs in the same bracket with the big guns.

Next...look at trouble we does get to bring back a player to play for T&T.  And if the big leagues lap up the foreigners, how will the other domestic leagues prosper, how will the local players develop when the best talent is drawn away to another country and warming bench there because he meet up with other best talents from other countries.  When men do come back they can't perform because they too tired or carrying injuries.

It really sad that Arsenal representing the Premiership and doh have a English player on the field.

Imagine if we have that in T&T and allyuh cyah get to see Hardest and Dwarika (lord help mih for saying that) because men from all over on teams.  Our national players would be benching away, and right here on we home soil.

I feel yuh really have to limit the thing for the long term betterment of the game.  If yuh want quick money then , make it a free for all.

Finally, allyuh check out how FIFA does rank countries ?  The geographical location does factor in the points awarded per game.  UEFA teams already have a 1.0 factor to work with, everybody else is less than 1.0   That is to assume that the UEFA teams are considered the strongest.  How yuh think that get so, because of their big leagues that foreigners go to and help develop.

[Jefferz]

stewps.


dis is de same prick dat wanted to make de goals bigger and make matches into quarter breaks.




BLATTER CAN HAUL HE PHUKIN PWEFFIN ASS.

[Grande]

Guys, I beg to differ somewhat... ah plenty men doh really like Blatter, but look at the benefits..

Firstly most of the clubs complaining about too much football and competitions, and is because the leagues so crowded.  Them same 20 teams have at least three competitions between deyself, and the league alone is 38 games.  When yuh add that to practice games, exhibitions etc is real football.  I remember since Maradona was playing for Napoli he complaining 'bout too much football.  He say he does play an average of 126 games a season for club alone, so you have to forgive him if he have a couple bad games.

Next thing is that the big clubs making all the money through TV rights and it really hard to market the smaller clubs in the same bracket with the big guns.

Next...look at trouble we does get to bring back a player to play for T&T.  And if the big leagues lap up the foreigners, how will the other domestic leagues prosper, how will the local players develop when the best talent is drawn away to another country and warming bench there because he meet up with other best talents from other countries.  When men do come back they can't perform because they too tired or carrying injuries.

It really sad that Arsenal representing the Premiership and doh have a English player on the field.

Imagine if we have that in T&T and allyuh cyah get to see Hardest and Dwarika (lord help mih for saying that) because men from all over on teams.  Our national players would be benching away, and right here on we home soil.

I feel yuh really have to limit the thing for the long term betterment of the game.  If yuh want quick money then , make it a free for all.

Finally, allyuh check out how FIFA does rank countries ?  The geographical location does factor in the points awarded per game.  UEFA teams already have a 1.0 factor to work with, everybody else is less than 1.0   That is to assume that the UEFA teams are considered the strongest.  How yuh think that get so, because of their big leagues that foreigners go to and help develop.

This is an interesting post pardners, I guess it depends on your stance on the whole thing. I think Blatter's position only dividing people more, off the field and on it.
With your T&T example, you said how will our league develop if the best players are picked up by foreign leagues. Everybody does want to move on to bigger and better things, and this is an incentive for footballers to start doing their thing more seriously. The increase of our players in foreign leagues will influence home-grown players more. Some will choose to stay, some will choose to go. All in all the local league still developing because the talent and drive still there to perform. Look at the Brazilian league. Even though some of its best players not swooped up by a foreign team yet, they still have the better teams within its own league to aim for (Sao Paulo, Santos, Corinthians etc). The league system is a hierarchy, but not a set one, it always changing, always giving players something to play for. Our national team will benefit greatly from this too, if yuh have class players coming in from overseas and locally.

Arsenal is in the EPL yea, but there is no obligation fuh dem to represent England or English football. They just happen to be in the EPL, they could take players from wherever they want, once it is making the team play good football. Ashley Cole and Campbell on the team, the just injured.
I understand that if the PFL was filled with South Americans man would get vex, but it would also encourage our local players to play harder and learn from other cultures. I don't think football globalization is a bad thing.

[dcs]

I not sure if there are any restrictions right now in the PFL regarding caricom nationals....but if so then the CSME *might* draw more non-nationals into the league.

And yuh know what....that is a good thing.  Players will rise to the challenge and the standard of football will improve.  Even the situation at W Connection working out in my opinion.  Jabloteh had to keep pace with them and they doing it with plenty locals.  But that Jabloteh  Connection rivalry is a good thing.

And reducing opportunities for non-Europeans so we could *keep* our players will not work in our favour.  Yuh want to deny Kenwyne, Stern and the rest the opportunity to play football at the highest level so we could bolster our own league?  Bolster our league by having strong youth programs and let the PFL be a stepping stone.  The ultimate goal is to provide youths in T&T a chance to make a decent living through football.

What Blatter saying will probably work against non-Europeans more than anyone else.