EU gives foreign-player limits the red card - Main contents

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - In a strongly worded statement, the European Commission has forbidden the federation of international football associations (FIFA) from regulating the amount of foreign players on a single football team, saying it would violate the bloc's internal market rules.

EU social affairs commissioner Vladimir Spidla i dismissed plans by FIFA president Sepp Blatter to force football clubs from 2012 to have at six home-grown players and limit the number of foreign players to five as "blatant discrimination."

"The commission cannot possible accept such a rule, so we are ready to give that initiative the red card treatment. Footballers are workers like anybody else, which is why the non-discrimination and free movement rules do apply to them."

Mr Spidla made reference to the "crystal clear" Bosman ruling from 1995, in which an EU court ruling put an end to foreign-player restrictions and applied the EU's principle of free movement of workers to footballers.

"A 6+5 rule would ... constitute direct discrimination on the grounds of nationality," said the commissioner in an especially-arranged announcement noting that if member states decided to apply Mr Blatter's proposal, they risked legal action.

The commission also said it preferred the "constructive dialogue" approach taken by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and noted that its proposal for "home-grown players" - whereby it set a quota for locally-trained players at clubs but does not restrict nationalities on the team - respects EU rules.

Mr Blatter, for his part, has remained tough on the issue since he announced his intention to push forward with the '6+5' policy last month. After receiving backing from the European Confederation, he has said he plans to bring the issue before FIFA's congress on Friday (30 May).

To change FIFA's rules, 75 percent support at the Sidney congress would be needed.

The issue pits those who want to see the EU's internal market rules prevail against those who think that sport needs to be treated differently.

Last month, the European Parliament came down on the side of the internal market, rejecting Mr Blatter's proposals.