FIFA President Sepp Blatter is once again calling for a quota system to limit the number of foreign players on each club team. His decision comes as a response to the Champions League dominance of the English Premier League over the past two seasons, during which time three of the competition’s four semifinalists have come from England. The FIFA President says he’s concerned about the European competition becoming a monopoly.
“Shall we let the rich become richer and say nothing?” Blatter asked. “This season, there were four English teams in the last eight, three in the semifinals and two in the final. The Champions League has been very successful financially but it has also favored national inequality. That’s why, being in charge of football, I have to bring this item to the attention of the Congress.”
Blatter now hopes to open talks between the European Union and soccer’s authorities about implementing a “six-plus-five” rule, which would limit the number of foreign players in a starting eleven to five. He hopes to have the foreigner restriction rule operational by 2010, gradually increasing the limit to five players by 2012. Blatter also wants to extend the residency period before a player can represent another country to five years. Currently, the period is as short as two years. “There is a danger that in 2014 half the players in the World Cup could come from Brazil,” Blatter remarked.