kayjay
03-28-2009, 11:21 AM
Attempts to impose restrictions on foreign players at clubs are "xenophobic," says English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
Scudamore did not mention FIFA's 6-plus-5 proposal by name, but world football's governing body has been pushing to restrict clubs to a maximum of five foreigners in their starting lineups.
"I do struggle where nationalism, jingoism and patriotism stops and where actually some sort of xenophobic rhetoric takes over," Scudamore said. "And there is a certain amount of that in the football world, when I keep getting told that, 'How can English football be English football when there are not enough English players in a particular team?"'
That was the viewpoint of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who recently bemoaned the lack of English players in the four Premier League sides in the Champions League.
Blatter said he was intervening with 6-plus-five to ensure that "club football is identified if not locally then nationally, that you have the majority of national players or players from the same country in a team or not."
The Premier League claimed late Friday that Scudamore's comments to anti-racism campaigners at an event on Thursday were not an attack on Blatter, but a plea to football fans that support of a national team should not spill over into jingoism or xenophobia.
But Scudamore and Blatter did clash on Monday during a private meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich over attempts to restrict foreign players.
Blatter apparently tried to convince Scudamore of the benefits of quotas by highlighting how Manchester United beat Inter Milan this month by starting with six English players. But it was pointed out to him that John O'Shea was Irish and Ryan Giggs was Welsh.
Scudamore also highlighted to Blatter and Thursday's audience that everyone in the England team apart from David Beckham plays in the Premier League.
Blatter's push stems from a concern that the Premier League was harming other leagues by hoarding the world's best players. He accused Scudamore on Thursday of being driven by generating wealth.
Read the rest: http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/9385808/Scudamore-hits-back-at-FIFA-chief
Scudamore did not mention FIFA's 6-plus-5 proposal by name, but world football's governing body has been pushing to restrict clubs to a maximum of five foreigners in their starting lineups.
"I do struggle where nationalism, jingoism and patriotism stops and where actually some sort of xenophobic rhetoric takes over," Scudamore said. "And there is a certain amount of that in the football world, when I keep getting told that, 'How can English football be English football when there are not enough English players in a particular team?"'
That was the viewpoint of FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who recently bemoaned the lack of English players in the four Premier League sides in the Champions League.
Blatter said he was intervening with 6-plus-five to ensure that "club football is identified if not locally then nationally, that you have the majority of national players or players from the same country in a team or not."
The Premier League claimed late Friday that Scudamore's comments to anti-racism campaigners at an event on Thursday were not an attack on Blatter, but a plea to football fans that support of a national team should not spill over into jingoism or xenophobia.
But Scudamore and Blatter did clash on Monday during a private meeting at FIFA headquarters in Zurich over attempts to restrict foreign players.
Blatter apparently tried to convince Scudamore of the benefits of quotas by highlighting how Manchester United beat Inter Milan this month by starting with six English players. But it was pointed out to him that John O'Shea was Irish and Ryan Giggs was Welsh.
Scudamore also highlighted to Blatter and Thursday's audience that everyone in the England team apart from David Beckham plays in the Premier League.
Blatter's push stems from a concern that the Premier League was harming other leagues by hoarding the world's best players. He accused Scudamore on Thursday of being driven by generating wealth.
Read the rest: http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/9385808/Scudamore-hits-back-at-FIFA-chief