ANOTHER EXCUSE

Europe's best and wealthiest football clubs formally took sides Tuesday against FIFA's plan to restrict their use of foreign players.

Members of the new European Club Association - representing 103 teams from 53 nations - used their first business meeting to reject the so-called '6+5' rule proposed by Sepp Blatter, president of world football's governing body, to protect the national identity of clubs.

The rule would force clubs to start matches with at least six players eligible to play for the national team and a maximum of just five foreigners, despite European Union law on the freedom of movement of workers.

Clubs prefer a plan put forward by European governing body UEFA which is based on a quota of players on the roster who were developed in that country, regardless of nationality.

"There is no necessity for a 6+5 rule and the organization favors instead UEFA's homegrown approach," the ECA said in a statement Tuesday.

Club delegates meeting at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, confirmed Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Joan Laporta as chairman and vice chairman of the ECA.

Rummenigge, the chairman of German champion Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona president Laporta represented clubs last month at a meeting with the European Union during which Brussels made it clear that '6+5' was unacceptable. For Full Story

Japanese player in Scotland

Now, it is to protect the national identity of clubs - yeah right! This stupid rule is discriminatory - it is even against EU rules of movement of workers can you believe this? I hope this stupid rule will never materialize. Hypocrites are alive and well in Europe. The continent is enjoying a high level of play thanks to these foreigners - how backward can their thinking be?

English Premier League Chairman Richards (PL harms England)thinks foreigners hinder the growth of local players. But victories of Italy and Spain in the World Cup and Euro respectively debunks his assertion (Italian and Spanish leagues have many imports too but manage to develop local talent).Whatever it is that prevents the English National Team from winning is definitely not the fault of foreigners but by cojones-less players abundant in their side (there's so much hubris and hype surrounding this team that they fall flat on their faces at every failure). They blame everything surrounding them (David Beckham blamed the pitch for penalty miss in Euro 2004) but themselves.