Blatter's quota proposal will mean the end of smaller clubs. Liquidation is on the horizon.
Sepp Blatter’s blueprint for the future of football’s domestic game is expected to be passed by the senior lunch eaters at the ruling body’s congress later this week. The “six plus five” proposal limits the number of foreign players in each team to five, with six nationals. The aim is to create balance and increased competition in domestic leagues, with a positive knock on effect on the national teams. But what implications does this have for sport? Is this is an infringement on our human rights? And, more importantly, how would you feel if this format was imposed in the every day workplace?
The rotund dignitaries of the football world meet this week in Sydney, for Fifa’s annual conference with the topic of quotas high on the agenda alongside copious eating, drinking and Sepp’s uncanny Platini impression. Mr. Blatter revealed his trimming of the domestic quotas could be installed as soon as 2010, starting with four domestic players and then rising to six by 2012.
Looking at England specifically, this is an extremely dangerous direction, rather than creating increased competition and balance, the top four will motor off into the sunset with their big budgets.
Firstly I see a restriction in the movement of players throughout Europe which will hamper the English game. Not only from a stand point of attracting the best of Europe but also allowing our players to move abroad. If more of our players played abroad, like leagues from around the world, those players would improve and create opportunities for players to advance in the domestic game. Plus, the richer clubs will buy the best talent and invest heavily in producing domestic talent while the clubs that have to wheel and deal to survive have restrictions on who they can buy, resulting in increased prices in the market.
For example, the great work Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp have achieved in the game in recent years, using the pool of players in the European transfer market to bring in quality because the English market is saturated with inflated rates, will be a thing of the past. The rise of Bolton and Portsmouth to Premiership mainstayswas a fairytale which gave the smaller clubs hope. Bosses like Harry and Sam operated in this manner because they had a budget to achieve success and shopping in the English market could not deliver the quality on the cheap. Mad Sepp’s new quota will only make this saturation in the domestic market worse. Yes, there will be more English players to choose from, but their prices will be hiked up due to demand, and there is no guarantee of producing quality. I see a flurry of liquidation on the horizon.
I am just not convinced the quota system is the most efficient way of improving the national game or creating greater competition in the domestic game. If the TV rights pot of gold was spread evenly throughout the leagues, teams could invest more in grass roots football and resulting in a far greater pool of quality players. Does simply restricting the amount of foreigners mean more quality English footballers? No it doesn’t, long term sustained growth is more important to the future of the game, seeing more money ending up in the needy hands of the smaller clubs.
Finally, simply on an ethical perspective, could this be implemented in any other workplace? If you lost out on a job because you were not chosen on ability but instead because of the origin of your competitor, you would feel victimised. It is a dangerous precedent to be setting, especially as Blatter is keen on working with other sports to achieve his objective. The ideal contradicts the definition of sport; anyone should be able to participate with no restrictions based on origin.
My only hope is that the ruling committee sees sense. Hopefully they will understand that six is too many and at the very least reduce this to three or four nationals in domestic sides. But it is the fundamentals of this that I disagree with, you cannot restrict who can play in each country, it is wrong. I believe fervently the consequences economically, will put smaller clubs out of business and national sides will not benefit in terms of a pool of quality, especailly to the extent of which Sepp Blatter envisions. It is the division of money which needs much closer attention.