Foreign player limits bid set to fail

Date: 16/01/03

By Peter Chapman

FOOTBALL bosses could be caught offside by renewed efforts to limit the numbers of foreign players in European matches, Commission officials have warned.

They were responding to claims by Andy Roxburgh, technical director for European soccer body UEFA, who said he hoped the EU would soon approve moves to impose a 50 quota of home grown players in teams.

The former Scottish football coach said UEFA was committed to "putting the heart and soul into developing local talent, which would all come through a good youth structure".

But an aide to Viviane Reding, the commissioner responsible for sport, said any limits on players would be in breach of the landmark 1996 Bosman ruling in the European Court of Justice. This stated that European players should be allowed to move to, and play for, any club anywhere in the EU. "The Bosman ruling does not leave room for manoeuvre," said the aide.

UEFA chiefs are keen to change the Union's treaty to make the Bosman ruling obsolete. But officials claim this would be unlikely.

"Changing the EU rules to accommodate the wishes of UEFA would be tantamount to giving it a monopoly," said the Reding aide. He added that such a scenario would limit the scope for rivals, such as the G14 group of top European clubs, to set up their own league structures or competitions should they decide to desert UEFA.

Football bosses are making renewed efforts to limit the numbers of foreign players in European matches, but the European Commission has warned that this would be in breach of the landmark 1996 Bosman ruling.