FIFA President Sepp Blatter has submitted a proposal to European soccer officials to have domestic leagues play through the summer months, while restricting the number of foreign players on European club teams. Blatter thinks the domestic soccer season should more closely mirror the calendar year, running from late February until the end of November, which he says would give players a lenghty break while opening three weeks in the winter for qualifying games for major tournaments. Europe’s big clubs support the initiative, Blatter said, which would lead to more European groups and fewer overall qualifying games. All in all, a qualifying season would be a good thing for European clubs, which always worry that their players will return injured whenever they go on international duty, but one wonders what would happen to the calendar during a World Cup or European Championship year. The other issue, called the “6+5” formula, will go into effect next year, Blatter said, as FIFPro, the worldwide union of professional players, has approved the proposal. Under the new rule, each team would be required to field six home players and five foreigners in their starting 11. Blatter said the move would encourage domestic youth development and fiscal responsability during a time when many clubs lose money, but don’t expect too many American players to be making the move abroad once the rule becomes law. It will certainly limit the appeal of foreign imports. It should be noted that the European Union requires a free labor market, but Blatter, as always, has urged the EU to stay out of soccer.