Fifa scraps plans for 'home-grown' player rule

[Lee]

Fifa has said it will scrap plans for a minimum of six "home-grown" players in clubs' starting line-ups.

The so-called "6+5" rule had been expected to be brought in by 2012 but has now been abandoned.

Football's world governing body, at its congress in South Africa ahead of the World Cup kick-off, said it will now look at "other eligibility" options.

BBC Sport understands the European Commission said such a proposal would contravene EU labour laws.

From next season, the Premier League will bring in a system where there must be eight home-grown players in squad of 25.

Also at the congress in Johannesburg, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he would seek another term of office next year.

"I have not yet completed my mission as president of Fifa, I am motivated to go for another term," said the 74-year-old Swiss who has held the post since 1998.

He was then interrupted by applause from delegates before adding: "Thank you for your confidence. I would like to say we will go for it together. I am ready, you are ready."

Delegates also decided to keep an age limit of 23 with three over-age players permitted per team for the London 2012 Olympic football tournament.

There had been pressure from clubs to make it an under-21 competition.

But the International Olympic Committee warned that any change could affect the number of teams allowed in the event.

Barcelona and German sides Werder Bremen and Schalke all won a ruling in 2008 against being forced to released their players for the Beijing Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled as the Olympics was not on Fifa's international calendar, the clubs were not obliged to release the players.

Source

 

[cfc12345]

good for some of the top teams in the premier league wo have tons of foreign players

 

[Mike.]

good, in relation to england the whole thing is just a shortcut, all it does is give you MORE domestic players, not BETTER domestic players. maybe the fa will actually bother to change the way we coach the game from a young age

 

[JDY]

Good lad, Blatter has done something useful for once.

 

[CJ]

Fantastic news for Arsenal

 

[Mike.]

actually arsenal would enough homegrown players coming through,

 

[Ride The Walrus]

Good, would of been un natural

 

[Zebedee]

actually arsenal would enough homegrown players coming through,

The definition was so stupidly loose, it was pointless to try and bring it in and call it something which would encourage native youth development at the top clubs. Throw in the EU now deciding that it breaks employment law and Fifa have had to make something of an embarassing climbdown.

Abolish the travel restrictions, allow 'outreach' centres for clubs within their national boundaries and allow clubs to pay young players bursaries for education or set up trusts would be better (not ideal though heh) ways to emcourage clubs to focus on developing talent within their own borders.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

Wanted to see this rule take place really wanted to see the likes of Arssenal and Chelsea and Utd and even Pool boast their young guns from their reserves and under 18s and show that the epl isnt just full of foreigners but as said somewhere above the fa needs to find a new way of breeding new talent

 

[Mike.]

The definition was so stupidly loose, it was pointless to try and bring it in and call it something which would encourage native youth development at the top clubs. Throw in the EU now deciding that it breaks employment law and Fifa have had to make something of an embarassing climbdown.

Abolish the travel restrictions, allow 'outreach' centres for clubs within their national boundaries and allow clubs to pay young players bursaries for education or set up trusts would be better (not ideal though heh) ways to emcourage clubs to focus on developing talent within their own borders.

this. in short, lets get it done properly instead of trying to implement publicity-based shortcuts

 

[The Shots]

Arsenal fans should thank some religous guys god.

 

[Redders]

Haven't the Championship/football league just introduced a home-grown player rule?

 

[Mike.]

Haven't the Championship/football league just introduced a home-grown player rule?

the football league homegrown rule is slightly different, as it asks for 10 homegrown with a squad of 25, but it doesnt force you to play them in the starting line up, which is what fifa's ruling effectively would have done.

 

[Deleted member 79730]

Thank god, a stupid rule in the first place. Was just gonna put us behind everyone else, now we can go back to attracting the top players to England

 

[muttley]

Ok that's done and dealt with in real life now will the Guys at SI do something about the rule in season two (2010-11) in FM2010, as you have to register players in premier league, Hopefully they will release a new update maybe

 

[Mike.]

Ok that's done and dealt with in real life now will the Guys at SI do something about the rule in season two (2010-11) in FM2010, as you have to register players in premier league, Hopefully they will release a new update maybe

thats a different homegron rule, and that one stand in real life still

 

[westham1995]

This is terrible, just when I hoped teams like West Ham would have a chance to do well for once. Once again the big man gets his way whilst the little man struggles on.

 

[Mike.]

This is terrible, just when I hoped teams like West Ham would have a chance to do well for once. Once again the big man gets his way whilst the little man struggles on.

its a **** rule. and it doesnt help english football in the long run. all it would have done is to give the fa a reason not to do any actual work

 

[Zebedee]

This is terrible, just when I hoped teams like West Ham would have a chance to do well for once. Once again the big man gets his way whilst the little man struggles on.

It wouldn't help teams trying to bring through local talent mate as players from all over the world would class as 'home-grown' if bought in the same way most of the big clubs have been stocking up their youth academies (think how Wenger gets credit for his 'youth system' when he just buys in players who are in their late teens). It would only have further inflated the price of 'English' players meaning poorer clubs would be less able to compete with cheap signings.

The only way clubs which focus on bringing through local talent would benefit from a rule like this is if the rule breached European employment law, and that's the problem FIFA, UEFA and the national leagues have. There may be more hope if football can negotiate an exemption from certain parts of that law, but that would require a sensible, sane and well thought out worldwide policy which couldn't be overturned in a court of law on 'natural justice' grounds. I'm not holding my breath

 

[muttley]

I agree with the above and the irony is, the foreign players make younger English lads better and hungrier for a place. this rule will put back the English Game by 20 years as the youth in England is way behind than the rest of Europe, also this premiership rule will be challenged now by the Eu and the premiership will lose also this is not a benefit for your national team as you saw how they performed in the world cup, and this is not a gloat just speaking the truth, they "The Board of the EPL and FA" should concentrate on a winter break then restricting employee movement