Blatter blames England's EURO ouster with foreign players

If the English Premier League will not come along to his line of thinking, FIFA president Sepp Blatter will appeal to the league's fans.

Blatter blamed the Premier League's development of international players for England's ouster in the qualifying round of the 2008 European Championship.

Blatter has been trying to press for his six-plus-five quota plan, giving more spots on the pitch to talent that is eligible for the national team. The Premier League, loaded with international stars and players, has opposed the move.

But Blatter's latest suggestion seems more targeted at the league's fans, who are dismayed that their nation won't be a part of EURO 2008.

"Football is unpredictable and sometimes without any logic but it is a fact that in the strongest English teams the best players are not always English," Blatter told Reuters. "So where are the best English players coming from? They are coming from the less strong teams, which is weakening the English national team.

"What is happening in England is that the best teams are preparing the national team players for England's opponents.The Premier League has benefited the other countries taking part in the European championships, but not England."

England fell behind Croatia and Russia in the qualifying group.

Blatter's plan has been opposed by Premier League officials, as well as various European lawmakers and UEFA president Michel Platini.

"There has been much opposition to the plan since we first went public with it at the FIFA Congress in Munich two years ago, and the opposition is still coming from UEFA, who want to remain on good terms with the European Union," Blatter said. "But the EU is a political union with 27 independent states covering 30 football associations and one parliament and one commission."

Blatter believes he will win out, and that he can prove his plan does not violate labour laws.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.