FIFA risks strong opposition to '6+5' rule

The proposal of quotas for citizen players in starting positions that FIFA is pursuing, known as the '6+5' rule, is not being well received by the European governing body, UEFA.

The Guardian reports that Michel Platini, UEFA's president, has presented a different proposition to the European Union, currently run by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) doesn't have any position to date on this regard and the body created a specific  consultation process among its Member Leagues whose result isn't public yet.

FIFA's Director and Communications and Public Affairs, Hans Klaus, claims that they have held meetings with several international leaders, including Sarkozy, José Luis Rodríguez-Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain, and Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor. Klaus insists that there is considerable support for their proposal. Klaus also denies that the relationship between Platini and FIFA president Sepp Blatter has been weakened as a result of league opposition to the '6+5' rule.

A new European treaty may include a 'specificity of sport' clause, but the opposition to FIFA's objective could prove to be a problem.