The news that Europe’s top leagues feature many foreign players is hardly going to stop the front page presses, but no doubt FIFA President Sepp Blatter will find the statistics useful in his ongoing crusade to try and contravene European Union employment laws. A study published Thursday by the Professional Football Players Observatory states that the number of foreign players in the top divisions in England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy last season reached a record 42.4 percent.
The English Premier League continued to attract most foreign players, making up 59.5 percent of the total. The study also found that foreign players had for the first time contributed more than half (51.9 per cent) of the goals scored across the five leagues.
Blatter said in a statement that the findings highlighted “the need to have solidarity and maintain a balance in football.” Blatter wants to introduce a “six plus five” quota system that would mean domestic teams starting matches with a maximum of five foreigners. European governing body UEFA has advised Blatter that such a move would be illegal under EU laws guaranteeing workers’ freedom of movement, and has recommended voluntary guidelines instead.