Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blatter has Premier League doubts

Sepp Blatter
Blatter was elected Fifa chief in 1998

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is worried that the Premier League's worldwide appeal is damaging the global game.

"I have my concerns because the Premier League is the strongest in the world definitely," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It is taking over in such a manner that the other leagues have difficulties to match it."

Blatter also believes that the England's top flight has an unhealthy imbalance of power, with only a handful of clubs contesting the title.

"In a competition where two-thirds or three-quarters of the participants in the league play not to be first, but not to be relegated, there is something wrong," he added.

Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992, there have only been four different winners, compared to six different champions over the previous 16 seasons.

Blatter is concerned about the influx of foreign players and owners into England's top clubs that has accompanied the Premier League's runaway commercial success.

And he claimed to have the support of Sir Alex Ferguson for the 6+5 principle, which would limit the number of foreign players on a team to five.

"Manchester United have started to have more (homegrown) players," he said. "In the starting XI the other day, they had four.

"I spoke with the leadership, including Sir Alex Ferguson, and he said it is a good solution because it will automatically not only give access to young players but it will also bring back a little of the expenses.

"We are now in a economic crisis."

Where two-thirds or three-quarters of the participants in the league play not to be first, but not to be relegated, there is something wrong

Sepp Blatter on the Premier League
Blatter said he would attempt to convince Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore to impose a minimum requirement for home-grown talent on the pitch and warned that domestic owners might provide better stewardship through the economic downturn.

"I want to try to, if not persuade him (Richard Scudamore), then at least influence him in his thoughts that to have a minimum of local players will enhance the quality of his league," he said.

"Foreign ownership is definitely a risk, it is not the basis of football, but here we can do nothing.

"At the moment in the economic crisis, maybe the big investors and the big companies, will have less money to go in than local or regional investors who will be there because they identify themselves with the club."

Blatter also warned that England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup, a key part of a so-called "golden decade" of sport for the UK, faced serious competition.

Nine other expressions of interest have been made with Russia and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and the Netherlands and Belgium making up the competition from the rest of Europe.

"What is the advantage of England? If you look at the the technical infrastructure for stadiums and the organisation of football matches on the level of 50,000 people and upwards then they are ready to organise it, but they are not the only one," he said.

No comments: