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Blatter proposal threatens Inter
Friday 5 October, 2007

FIFA President Sepp Blatter pushes for a limit of five foreign players in the starting 11 for League matches – a ruling that would devastate Inter.

EU law led to the abolition of any rule limiting the number of foreign players a club could field, but Blatter argues that such guidelines shouldn’t apply to football.

“Workers in Europe can circulate freely, but footballers are not workers,” he told BBC Sport.

“You cannot consider a footballer like any normal worker because you need 11 to play a match – they are more artists than workers.

“When you have 11 foreigners in a team, this is not good for the development of football, for the education of young players, and there is a financial aspect too.”

Blatter’s aim is to force clubs to pick no more than five foreign players in their starting formation.

The re-introduction of a foreigners rule will be extremely difficult to implement as it is likely to meet with determined resistance from the biggest clubs in Europe.

Inter, for example, would see their formidable squad rendered impotent as they depend so strongly on their overseas stars.

In last weekend’s Serie A clash against Roma, the Nerazzurri didn’t send a single Italian on to the pitch with the starting 11 entirely composed of foreigners.

Roma, Juventus and Milan are less vulnerable as they all regularly play at least five Italians, but they would still see many of their expensive imports become useless.


::channel4::

[Rossoneri7]

Well yes its 11 of the best then a good bench (plus a great coach) ... Thats a given.


But what I meant was Serie A, has more of an Italian feel to it. I mean you look at the Italian championship (regardless of the cugini of course) and can get that feel. You could say the same about the Bundesliga.

You go to the EPL and you count the number of foreigners playing their trade there, along with the La Liga ...


Ok for the sake of example ... When you think Serie A; name the best players in each position for the Italian national side: Buffon, Zambrotta, Oddo, Nesta, Matrix, Cannavaro, Panucci, Cameronesi, Totti, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, De Rossi, Aquilani, Toni, Inzaghi, Iaquinta, Del Piero, (and this is just for the sake of example 2 have retired).


Can you do the same for the EPL ?! I mean when you think of the EPL for example when you think Gkeeper, Cech comes to mind not Robinson ... Then for a winger CRonaldo comes to mind not Bently etc etc ...

[kurtsimonw]

Ok for the sake of example ... When you think Serie A; name the best players in each position for the Italian national side: Buffon, Zambrotta, Oddo, Nesta, Matrix, Cannavaro, Panucci, Cameronesi, Totti, Pirlo, Gattuso, Ambrosini, De Rossi, Aquilani, Toni, Inzaghi, Iaquinta, Del Piero, (and this is just for the sake of example 2 have retired).

Can you do the same for the EPL ?! I mean when you think of the EPL for example when you think Gkeeper, Cech comes to mind not Robinson ... Then for a winger CRonaldo comes to mind not Bently etc etc ...

I don't see what the relation is between the top paragraph and the bottom one. You said "Name the best players in each position for the Italian NT" Obviously there's going to be no foreigners, as no foreigners can play for the Italian NT.

[Rossoneri7]

I don't see what the relation is between the top paragraph and the bottom one. You said "Name the best players in each position for the Italian NT" Obviously there's going to be no foreigners, as no foreigners can play for the Italian NT.

That's exactly it Kurt, the foreigners cant play in the NT, hence you don't have such a strong NT but have a rather strong league .. yes? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)



p.s. This was not a swipe at you (since that is how you usually take it, so chill).

[kurtsimonw]

That's exactly it Kurt, the foreigners cant play in the NT, hence you don't have such a strong NT but have a rather strong league .. yes? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


p.s. This was not a swipe at you (since that is how you usually take it, so chill).

But surely I could just do the same as you, but in reverse? No?

When you think of the England NT and take the best players from each position, you think of James, Carragher, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Joe and Ashley Cole, Owen, Rooney, etc.

But In Serie A when you think of Strikers, you think Ibrahomovic or Trezeguet, not Del Piero or Inzaghi. And in midfield the best is clearly Kaka'.

I personally do think the best GK and DEF in the league this season have been English. James has been alot better than Cech, and Ferdinand has had the best season of his career by a mile at the back. But to be honest, you can make points for and against every league. In my opinion Italy and Spains best player doesn't even play in their own league - Toni and Torres - while only Beckham of any decent English players plays out of the country.

It's something that will never end, especially as the leagues seem to just go through cycles of dominance and the NTs are very up and down, it's just a matter of opinion. What somebody thinks is great, another person will think is rubbish.


What makes you think it's personal? Why do you think that because somebody disagrees with you they take it personally. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: Apr 19 2008, 04:07 PM

[Rossoneri7]

But surely I could just do the same as you, but in reverse? No?

When you think of the England NT and take the best players from each position, you think of James, Carragher, Richards, Ferdinand, Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Joe and Ashley Cole, Owen, Rooney, etc.

But In Serie A when you think of Strikers, you think Ibrahomovic or Trezeguet, not Del Piero or Inzaghi. And in midfield the best is clearly Kaka'.

I personally do think the best GK and DEF in the league this season have been English. James has been alot better than Cech, and Ferdinand has had the best season of his career by a mile at the back. But to be honest, you can make points for and against every league. In my opinion Italy and Spains best player doesn't even play in their own league - Toni and Torres - while only Beckham of any decent English players plays out of the country.

It's something that will never end, especially as the leagues seem to just go through cycles of dominance and the NTs are very up and down, it's just a matter of opinion. What somebody thinks is great, another person will think is rubbish.
What makes you think it's personal? Why do you think that because somebody disagrees with you they take it personally.  (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

It's not about rubbish ... And it's not about disagreeing (all I have to do is mention the EPL or the England NT and state my opinion, if its negative, you'll always do a Galliani, then again Galliani's team has backed itself with honors (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ) ... I was just stating a point.

Clearly Kaka is a phenomeno and Ibra cadabra is a player of great quality ... There is no doubt that in the top European leagues, you will find foreigners of high quality, no doubt


But your missing the point again (lets try again (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) and u don't need to 'agree'), when you take Serie A; take out the best players in the league, the majority would be Italians. Sure Toni plays his trade in Germany as Cannavaro plays in Spain (but that said, there is no demand for the English players outside of EPL ... Becks is the excepion to the rule, maybe Owen !? but what happened to him ... If you wanna look at an English man abroad, Gaza (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) but you dont wana go that far back ).

Sure Lampard, Gerrard, Carra, Ferdinand, and Rooney are all world class ... They have all played their trade at the top. But then again, who is James ?! Richards ?! King ?! I mean we are talking world class here and non of these guys fit the bill. Compare that to the Italy NT or Germany NT, I am 100% sure you will find a stronger foundation of a NT in them than you would find in the England NT.


Maybe Capello can set the records straight ... Maybe he cant, but it is a fact that when you look at how rich (in quality) the EPL is, the burden definitely rests on foreign imports. And of course this is my opinion in the end.

But proof lies in that where is the England NT honors ?! Where is the gold ? silver ? bronze medal ?


I have always told you that I am shocked of how unlucky the England NT is, and have always reiterated that the prob is the lack of a world class Gkeeper. Maybe Capello can finally get one of those honors.