Clubs forced to field locally trained players

[Ted Hughes]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 57944.html

Football's governing authorities are considering radical new plans designed to force the richest clubs to give home-grown players more of a chance to make the grade.

The Independent on Sunday has learned that talks on the so-called nine-plus-nine proposal are at an advanced stage between Fifa and Uefa after all previous attempts at promoting youth development failed to gain sufficient support.

The plans, which would require half of a club's 18-man squad to have been "locally trained" for three years under the age of 21 within the same national association, still have to be approved by the European Union.

The new rules are initially designed for European competition. Under the plan Manchester City would have been three "locally trained" players short under nine-plus-nine when they took on Villarreal in the Champions' League last week.

If they are extended to the Premier League, as seems likely, City would also suffer. They would have been three "assimilated" players short in their 18-man team sheet against Wolves eight days ago. Even Arsène Wenger, arguably the canniest when it comes to drafting in overseas players at a tender age and moulding them into home-grown Arsenal stars, would also have found himself three locally trained players short in that remarkable 5-3 win at Chelsea.

The revamp would replace Sepp Blatter's doomed six-plus-five idea which was adopted by Fifa in May 2008 but never got off the ground because it related to nationality and fell foul of European law.

The EU accepted, however, Uefa's alternative quota system which is not based on nationality and currently stipulates that eight locally trained players must be included in every 25-man Champions' League and Europa League squad.

The crucial difference with nine-plus-nine is that a minimum of two locally trained players would have to make every starting line-up, with seven on the bench.

"This time they will have to be on the match sheet rather than just the squad," a Uefa source said. "We are talking about nine players who have come through the associations. Six-plus-five didn't work because you can't discriminate according to nationality. We think this will work."

The president of Uefa, Michel Platini, is a key player in the current talks to protect local identity and stop teams chopping and changing and buying up all the best foreign talent. "We understand the [European] Commission's position but still want to try to protect the local identity of clubs," said Platini.

"We have studied this more carefully and have now come up with the idea of nine-plus-nine. But before we propose this to the Commission, we have to make sure the whole football family support it."

The move, while bound to be welcomed by lower-ranked clubs, seems certain to infuriate the elite. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chairman of the European Club Association, said nine-plus-nine would reduce a club's ability to pick the best players and encourage "child hunting" of teenage talent around the world.

"The European Club Association has explicitly rejected it," he said. "I am convinced Fifa and Uefa have not thought this through in detail."

But the authorities are pressing ahead with the idea, designed to make sure home-grown players do not simply end up as squad also-rans. "The EU have accepted our regulations that locally trained does not involve discrimination," said the Uefa source. "Currently you can still end up fielding 11so-called foreigners. Nine-plus-nine would change that."


The words Stop, Attempt, Desperate & City spring to mind along with: Barn door, Horse, Bolted & Mass Walkout, European League & check out our new academy plans you fat, sweaty, cheese smelling cunt.

[Beeks]

Discussion raging on BM

Personally I think it would play into our hands

In a few years we will have the best youth academy in the world

Can't see it happening though..the Kaiser is already bleating about it

[Foreverinbluedreams]

As much as I dislike the Kaiser I believe he is spot on.

What UEFA need to do is put the onus on the clubs to produce local talent, this will benefit the communities in the surrounding areas.

I agree Beeks that ultimately this will benefit City and the richer clubs that will head hunt the best young talent around the world and locally train them.

Back to the drawing board UEFA.

[Ezz]

What's classed as locally trained though?

If it's by distance from the club, then London clubs would have a huge advantage as there are more clubs in london and there would be plenty of choice there.

Clubs from smaller towns and cities would have less talent to choose from.

[Scatman]

What's classed as locally trained though?

If it's by distance from the club, then London clubs would have a huge advantage as there are more clubs in london and there would be plenty of choice there.

Clubs from smaller towns and cities would have less talent to choose from.

It means at a club in the same national association:

"half of a club's 18-man squad to have been "locally trained" for three years under the age of 21 within the same national association"

[Slim]

I think it's trained at the club, while Rekik isn't a local lad, he would count(once he's been here 3 years).

By all means introduce this, if you think Arsenal raping the youth teams of france and spain was bad, wait till you force every club down that path.

[Ted Hughes]

I think it's trained at the club, while Rekik isn't a local lad, he would count(once he's been here 3 years).

By all means introduce this, if you think Arsenal raping the youth teams of france and spain was bad, wait till you force every club down that path.

The thing is, all of these rules, the 6 + 5, 9 +9, FFP, whatever, are a crock of lies & shit. People are saying " if they want to help acheive 'x' , why don't they do 'y', it would make much more sense " they're not trying to acheive 'x' at all, they're trying to acheive 'z' which is of course: stop clubs like us from taking over at the top table of European football.

Platini says: "We understand the [European] Commission's position but still want to try to protect the local identity of clubs,"

He therefore knows that what he is planning won't work before it even gets introduced: the EU will not allow 'local' bias so the 'local' aspect is absolute fucking bullshit. This is purely another attempt to stop clubs like City from signing & playing current top players in our team; it's an attempted handicap, to keep us away from the elite, exactly like the FFP rule is designed to be a handicap for clubs like us & has nothing to do with protecting clubs from debt. They specifically encourage debt, if you're already a big enough club to service it. This is designed to slow down our progress & make it difficult for us to have a fantastic squad.

[Patrick]

These clowns havent got a clue - i am gobsmacked - they just keep meddling with shit and not thinking about the consequences

All that this will do is make teenagers even more valuable so that the richest clubs in the world can stockpile huge academies of expensive foreign youth - like er we have in place

If what they really want to do is level the playing field and stop the stupid amounts of money being pumped in to loss making clubs - then introduce a wage ceiling a transfer ceiling and put some teeth into the ffp rulings

[Ted Hughes]

These clowns havent got a clue - i am gobsmacked - they just keep meddling with shit and not thinking about the consequences

All that this will do is make teenagers even more valuable so that the richest clubs in the world can stockpile huge academies of expensive foreign youth - like er we have in place

If what they really want to do is level the playing field and stop the stupid amounts of money being pumped in to loss making clubs - then introduce a wage ceiling a transfer ceiling and put some teeth into the ffp rulings

It's nice to know that our owner & his people have seen this coming & are already set for world domination in the future, should Platini & Co be stupid enough to bring this in. Mind you, having said that ,we'll be doing it anyway whether this comes in or not, as HRH knows it's better to produce our own players rather than spend £100 m per year.

Ho ho.

[Rag_hater]

I think it's trained at the club, while Rekik isn't a local lad, he would count(once he's been here 3 years).

By all means introduce this, if you think Arsenal raping the youth teams of france and spain was bad, wait till you force every club down that path.

The thing is, all of these rules, the 6 + 5, 9 +9, FFP, whatever, are a crock of lies & shit. People are saying " if they want to help acheive 'x' , why don't they do 'y', it would make much more sense " they're not trying to acheive 'x' at all, they're trying to acheive 'z' which is of course: stop clubs like us from taking over at the top table of European football.

Platini says: "We understand the [European] Commission's position but still want to try to protect the local identity of clubs,"

He therefore knows that what he is planning won't work before it even gets introduced: the EU will not allow 'local' bias so the 'local' aspect is absolute fucking bullshit. This is purely another attempt to stop clubs like City from signing & playing current top players in our team; it's an attempted handicap, to keep us away from the elite, exactly like the FFP rule is designed to be a handicap for clubs like us & has nothing to do with protecting clubs from debt. They specifically encourage debt, if you're already a big enough club to service it. This is designed to slow down our progress & make it difficult for us to have a fantastic squad.

I think you're point about what the EU will allow is right.I would be pretty sure that there are some regulations lawyers could find that woiuld make a mockery of these proposals.To me the fact we are in Europe means the rules they must treat kids from Spain the same as kids from England.They are all part of UEFA,

[ronk]

We're in our 2nd year of new regulations on development and still phasing in the FFP.

Teams are still adapting to the squad limits and they've been expensive, but should make for cheaper squads in the long run.

Suddenly introducing even tougher regulations going in a different direction could cause considerable hardships for some clubs.

Half a match day squad is a lot and could cause all sorts of problems if there are injuries.

It wouldn't do a lot for development of national teams either. If we needed 3 more players against Villareal then we just get a local sub goalie and switch a few subs around.

The better part of the suggestion would be the rule about starting 2 local players.

[Blue Since 76]

Does this mean we'd have only had 8 players on the pitch versus Villareal? Or would we have perhaps chosen a different team. We may have even bought different players as they'll have to give some notice for it coming in. Therefore the number of players we had in any game is an utterly irrelevant part of another hopeless article.

As others have said, bring this on. Now we have money, it'll make no difference to us whatsoever. It's likely to mean the demise of half the teams in the lower league who pay their way by selling players up the food chain, but why should Twatini care as they're not ruining his fancy competition.

[Ted Hughes]

We're in our 2nd year of new regulations on development and still phasing in the FFP.

Teams are still adapting to the squad limits and they've been expensive, but should make for cheaper squads in the long run.

Suddenly introducing even tougher regulations going in a different direction could cause considerable hardships for some clubs.

Half a match day squad is a lot and could cause all sorts of problems if there are injuries.

It wouldn't do a lot for development of national teams either. If we needed 3 more players against Villareal then we just get a local sub goalie and switch a few subs around.

The better part of the suggestion would be the rule about starting 2 local players.

Local players don't have to be 'local' though. They are not allowed to specify that, as it's against EU rules. Therefore 'locally trained' players is as far as they can go. By the time this rule would come in, Suarez, Roman & Rekik would all qualify as 'local' & there will be an army of other kids from all around the world in City's academy, ready to follow. The 'local' aspect is bullshit dreamed up by Platini to try & justify this attempted handicapping.

[ronk]

I knew that.

We had 6 local players in our squad of 18 against Villareal. It wouldn't necessarily do anything for development if Taylor were on the bench instead of Pantilimon or if we'd held onto SWP just to put him on the bench. Our local players are mostly playing, rather than makeweights in the squad and the same is true of Arsenal.

This is a measure to change the transfer value of some players at the expense of others, good for Ned (who's already on a premium), bad for Savic and Hargreaves.

Teams have mostly complied with the regulations in the time frames allowed and will probably move further in the direction of locally trained players. But it's hard to prepare for such a situation where the squad won't be able to respond to a string of injuries.

[brite blu sky]

I thought the Taliban were well known for trying to turn the clocks of history back.. these guys are really trying to steal their thunder.

'Local' died out -john68 would tell us- in the fifties? certainly history by the 70's.
National as the 'new' local.. er .. when was the EU set up ?

This bunch just don't get it do they. They have no insight or foresight or vision. Too busy feathering their own nests and playing office politics to actually do any analysis of where things are going. All they do is react ( 20- 30 years too late ) to what is speeding past them.

There is only one rule they should really introduce if they want to sort their shit out - Ban ex footballers from holding office in UEFA or FIFA. Allow them to advise only.

LIke Patrick says they could bring in sensible limits.
I have always thought the owned by the fans associations fit well the idea of clubs, but as we see with La Liga it doesn't stop clubs in major cities dominating the rest and it won't.

[everyonehatesus]

At the moment as it stands very few teams would pass this test, United and Barca being the main two that would. Its of no surprise that this is the case, its clear that those in power really dont like the idea of the old guard changing with the power shift. The key problem for them is simply that as both a team and buisness, City will not remain as we are today, we have put a fantastic amount of cash into the team over a small space of time. But this will not always be the case, we have made so much progress on and off the pitch that we will have some of the very best young players coming through in just a few years. They can try all they like to keep things as they are, but its changing no matter what they do.
The future is there for the taking, and we are at the front of those aiming to own it.

[Slim]

Hang on a sec, let's check that.

Lineup from the derby.

De Gea No
Smalling No
Ferdinand No
Evans Yes
Evra No
Nani No
Fletcher Yes
Anderson No
Young No
Rooney No
Welbeck Yes

Lindegaard No
Berbatov No
Park No
Fabio Yes
Valencia No
Hernandez No
Jones No

So unless they are introducing a 15+3 rule, can't see them even close.

[Ted Hughes]

Hang on a sec, let's check that.

Lineup from the derby.

De Gea No
Smalling No
Ferdinand No
Evans Yes
Evra No
Nani No
Fletcher Yes
Anderson No
Young No
Rooney No
Welbeck Yes

Lindegaard No
Berbatov No
Park No
Fabio Yes
Valencia No
Hernandez No
Jones No

So unless they are introducing a 15+3 rule, can't see them even close.

The 'locally trained' thing means in the same association rather than at the club:

'The plans, which would require half of a club's 18-man squad to have been "locally trained" for three years under the age of 21 within the same national association, still have to be approved by the European Union.'

[everyonehatesus]

Hang on a sec, let's check that.

Lineup from the derby.

De Gea No
Smalling No
Ferdinand No
Evans Yes
Evra No
Nani No
Fletcher Yes
Anderson No
Young No
Rooney No
Welbeck Yes

Lindegaard No
Berbatov No
Park No
Fabio Yes
Valencia No
Hernandez No
Jones No

So unless they are introducing a 15+3 rule, can't see them even close.

Thats where you're wrong, Young yes as hes English and plays in England the same as Smalling, Rooney and Rio. Thats the "local" for you, if they are from the country of the league then thats covered.

[Slim]

Oh, then we have Hart, Richards, Lescott, Clichy(Thank you Arsenal you creche raping paedo's), Johnson, Barry, Milner.

And the ruling just became even more pointless.