Blatter pushes for football autonomy

FIFA and the International Olympic Committee are pushing for European leaders to recognize an exempt status for sport, and give governing bodies a degree of autonomy.

The IOC has written to various European leaders asking to institute some freedom of regulation in any EU work laws.

"FIFA is completely behind the IOC on this subject," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "Our point of view is as follows: we respect national and international political organisations in their exercising of laws and in the support which they give to sport. However, along with the IOC, we would ask that these political institutions respect the existing rules and statutes and allow sporting organisations to maintain their autonomy.

"Football is strong enough to manage itself and does not need political institutions to help it in this respect. However, the European Union's support is more than welcome in matters of security, the fight against drugs, stadiums, corruption and violence, which are related to common law. We therefore support this revised treaty, but we would like it to be amended in such a way that the idea of autonomy for sporting organisations is included."

Blatter said the request stretched beyond asking for limits on foreign players on clubs. The request goes to managing problems within leagues, such as relegation, promotion and certain legal affairs.

He also is asking that the 6+5 system be put in place by the 2010-2011 season. That scheme has six players from a club eligible for the national team in a club's starting 11, along with as many as five non-eligible players.

"Football needs to have the courage to ask Europe for its autonomy," Blatter said. "This is why this crucial question will be discussed at the FIFA Executive Committee at the end of October and then submitted to the May 2008 Congress to be held in Sydney. Ideally, we would like to be able to implement the "6+5" system by the start of the 2010-2011. But first of all, we are making Europe aware of this wish. And where there's a will, there's a way."

Blatter went on to say that footballers aren't necessarily employees in the traditional sense of the word, and therefore need leeway when it comes to work circulation rules. He touched on the topic of foreign ownership in clubs, saying he had no issues with it as long as the money invested was earned legally.

He had no qualms about the G14 expanding, but did say he would like the organisation to stop taking the governing bodies to court every time a ruling did not go its way.

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