European soccer officials will reportedly abstain if a vote is taken by the sport's worldwide body this week to restrict teams to a maximum of five foreign players in starting lineups, a ruling that would drastically change the makeup of many of the world's elite clubs. The European Union has declared that such a rule discriminates on the grounds of nationality. But FIFA president Sepp Blatter and many other organization members support the so-called '6 + 5 rule.'
The disagreement between the two sides would put UEFA officials in a delicate position if FIFA's annual meeting on Wednesday produces a vote on the issue. UEFA members support parts of the 6+5 plan, but decided Monday at its own meeting that its members shouldn't vote on the matter until the legal questions are answered.
"We can only do it when it's legal," Belgian federation president Francois De Keersmaecker said. The EU favors UEFA's own "homegrown" proposal that would require clubs to carry a quota of players on their rosters who were trained in the club's home country, regardless of nationality.