This week it was announced that FIFA has voted to phase in the "6+5" system that has been controversial since day one. FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his desire to include six homegrown players in every starting team.
This announcement was met with a negative reaction from most parts of the footballing world. It was then announced that this ruling would contravene a European Law. Blatter hit back by saying that any law can be changed.
The European Union allows the free movement of workers in Europe. Unfortunately for FIFA, this would make their new rule illegal.
Despite the legal issue within the European Union, Sepp Blatter presented the 6+5 Rule to FIFA Congress, where they would examine all the possible pros and cons, and then vote on whether to allow it or not.
Here in England, The FA was quoted on their website as saying "At today's meeting of the FIFA Congress in Sydney, The FA voted in favour of further exploration of the "6+5" rule proposed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter."
The FA further said, "The resolution, adopted overwhelmingly by the Congress, requested that the FIFA and UEFA Presidents work with key figures within the world of sports to examine how the proposal might work within the limits of the law."
They also indicated that having a higher quality of English players was an "utmost priority."
It is now believed that the rule may be slightly changed to include British players, rather than English clubs being penalised for fielding Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish players.
Today I assessed the top four teams in the Premier League. Amazingly, Manchester United would not have to make any changes at all to their side. In a 4-4-2 formation, they could field Van der Sar, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra, Vidic, Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney.
Amazingly, that is a full-strength squad for United.
When I looked at Liverpool, again in a 4-4-2 formation, they would field the following: Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Alvaro Arbeloa, Stephen Darby, Steven Gerrard, Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso, Jay Spearing, Fernando Torres, Peter Crouch.
That's a decent squad, but ther's a couple of players which no-one would have heard of there.
Then I looked at Chelsea. This is how it turned out: Petr Cech, John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole, Shawn Wright Phillips, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka.
Very Good squad there, brilliant in fact.
Then I looked at Arsenal. This is how it turned out: Manuel Almunia, Kerrea Gilbert, Bacary Sagna, Paul Rodgers, Justin Hoyte, Cesc Fabregas, Alex Hleb, Kieran Gibbs, Mark Randall, Emmanuel Adebayor, Jay Simpson.
I was disgusted at the low amount of English players at Arsenal. Every English player here is barely known to Arsenal fans.
So, what's my opinion? I'm a full supporter of this system. I think just taking one look at Arsenal's team above is enough to convince anyone that we need a solution now, because the unthinkable might happen.
England might get worse.
What do you think? Does that Arsenal squad spell out the problems we have in football today? Or will another person bang on about how we should be fairer to immigrants? Tell me. Now.
comments (22) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
The simple fact is that the England National Team hasn't performed due to the poor quality or poor performance of the English Players. I don't think that it is Arsenal's responsibility per se to produce and play six English players. Let me add that Arsenal's youth system has produced plenty of English players who have gone on to be successful elsewhere.
So, to blame one particular team for England's downfall is in bad taste. Added to that, this six plus five rule seems to target teams like Arsenal who are blamed whenever England does poorly. It is not Arsenal's fault and if Blatter would follow the European Union's Laws, this rule is not enforceable.
End of.
from 4 months ago
but you blame it on arsenal, in effect. i struggled to make that 6+5 side, whereas it was quite easy with the other three. english clubs have a duty to produce english players, so why shouldn't arsenal take the blame. as blatter has said, a law can be changed.
from 4 months ago
English clubs have a duty to protect their own interests and play to win - that's it. They have no duty to produce English players as such. Of course, you may say so because English clubs are based in England but that by no means indicates that they have a "duty" to produce English players.
As I said, even if you do say that they have a "duty", it's not as if Arsenal produce no English players - we produce them and for now, they haven't featured in the manager's plans and have moved off to play regular football elsewhere..
The English system is very poor in that they do not have centres of excellence or proper training academies like France and Spain or most top footballing countries. It is only now that they've pondered ploughing millions of pounds into that project - so before pointing fingers, please, look at the system prevailing within England - that is why there are few good English players.
Blatter hasn't said anything about the law being changed. He has simply been allowed to explore this quota, but he can explore it all he wants - this rule cannot be enforced in Europe.
from 4 months ago
so if arsenal had no english layers at all in thier 40 players, you'd be happy? english club are just that. english. they DO have a duty to produce new english talent, it just apears arsenal produce them, then sell them on. david bentley the example here. they had to buy walcott, rather than produce a youth from the own team.
how can u criticize the english youth system, when we have good players coming through all over the place. chelsea have a few good englih players breaking through their ranks, as do liverpool, and united have at least 12 players on the verge of breaking into the squad.
everyone else can do it, but not arsenal. they give up and buy some acne ridden 16 year old from another country, and throw all their time and effort at him, and make him world class.
everyone else can do it. why can't arsenal?
from 4 months ago
Michael - you're not able to understand my point about the English youth system - I'm not referring to the clubs.. I'm referring to the grass roots - which in England are equivalent to the clubs. The English reliance on clubs is what destroyed the national team.
France have the Clairefontaine Academy - why don't England? You have all the money in the world to invest where?
As to your question about 40 players at Arsenal being foreign - if they win, I don't care about the nationality - I'm Indian and I support Arsenal. I don't care one bit if an "acne ridden 16 year old" plays or a "good looking" English lad plays - I want Arsenal to win, and any sane Arsenal fan would want them to win and not just field 6 English players who are as of now, over-rated and over-priced.
4 months ago
a club is a business and you cant tell a business who they can hire or not, like in football you cant tell a team which players they can have and cant.
its not fair for a the clubs that they have to have a limit on foreign players because england is shite.
people need to get out of their heads that england is a top ten world team their not, the palyers are not even the best on their teams like ronolado is better then rooney and carvhlo better then terry. e glish players are overpayed whinny nitwits and the FA is just the same as both country fans players and FA try to blame others for their lack of success. and enforcing this rule will make the premier league so boring and in my opinion its the most exciting leauge in the world
from 4 months ago
it's an english league, so iyt's only right that it has more english players. england is shite, and everyone knows it, but one of the main reasons is that hardly any of them play together. this would benefit the national team, so do it in my opinion.
4 months ago
I agree with Shyam you can't blame it on one side. And all this rule will do is force top premiership teams to play poor English players just because they need them.
from 4 months ago
the point is, the top clubs will have to produce good english talent, that's the whole point. anyone who rejects the idea of the prem league been fairer to the home nation isn't patriotic. what respect do people have for their conutry when they deny their own people the right to have an advantage, and an oppurtunity to make it big.
4 months ago
racist.
why don't only the english stay in england then?
run the country that way.. why stop only at football clubs..
just cause the national team isn't doing well...
do any brazilians play in brazil?
from 4 months ago
u accusing me of being racist?
4 months ago
sepp blatter is an idiot and he proves it here once again. what a ridiculous system. how about home countries players? football clubs are just that clubs and they should not have to field certain amounts of players. english football benefit from having foreign skilled players playing in the leagues there. its hardly detrimental to the football and the kids if a foreign star gets selected over a crap english player. just means the team is better.
from 4 months ago
but this is the point that blatter is trying to make. no-one gives a shit about english players, that why the foreigners get selected over them. their crap because the club can't be bothered. this would bring out new home talent, and help footballing as a whole. these days, if your an aspiring footballer in england, forget it. how is that fair?
4 months ago
No Theo Walcott in your Arsenal squad? Also Cesc Fabregas would be considered a 'home grown' player and would not effect the foreign players qouta. And by the time this is implemented there will be many players from our academy in the first team, of whom the majority are English. Wilshire, Randall, Gibbs will all be ready.
This will only stop Wenger selling average English players such as Bentley and Upson and will reduce the overall quality of the league.
from 4 months ago
walcott? oh cack, forgot him. fabregas would be yes, good point mate. bentley and upson were average but not enough was done with them. if enough time and patience is given to these players, we'll have loads of great english players. then fabio will have a selection problem!
4 months ago
So let me see if I fully understand this.
under this rule every club would have to have at least 5 home-grown players? Like, Liverpool would have to have at least 5 English players? That's retarded.
from 4 months ago
no no, they'd need 6 home-grown players. but, the handy thing is for most that, you can buy a player when he's under 17, and if he stays with you till he's 18, he's a home-grown player. arsenal are fine i guess. we'll still see starting teams with no actual english players in it.
4 months ago
No no.. under this system (FIFA's), 6 players have to be English, UEFA has the home grown player rules, which would mean that Arsenal are fine.
from 4 months ago
that said been pedantic i guess lol
4 months ago
Sepp Blatler’s intention is to destroy EPL. Please note there are much more people watching Man. U. played against Arsenal than last World Cup final match. Keep in mind the Man. U vs Arsenal match is just a regular season match. How does this sit well with all those guys in FIFA? This 6+5 is a good weapon to kick talented players out of EPL and thus lower the quality of English clubs and the popularity of EPL. SB is very skillful.
from 4 months ago
his intention is to revitalize the epl's national identity. nothing has been said about kicking talented players out, it just means that fewer will start games. no-one seems to realize that some top talents that coulnd't get in the first team could become super subs. no restictions on how foreigners are subs.
4 months ago
(1) No talented player wants to go to a place to be a sub; (2). EPL’s identity should is the league hosting the best worldwide (not just English or British) players featuring the most entertaining matches played in England; (3) I don’t think SB care a bit about EPL or England national team’s wellbeing. He just does not want to see EPL matches are more popular than FIFA matches in the world.
write a new comment