Johansson to talk with EU about restricting "foreign invasion" (1 Viewer)

Nicole

Senior Member
Sep 16, 2004
7,561
#1
Good Idea? or bad idea? wondering about the point of view for Juve fans, I am 50-50, we all know that alot of greatly talented footballers are from South America, which means alot of Brazilians and Argentinians will never play European football again. Other then that I am happy, as the two clubs I suppose (Roma and Man United) have more Italian or English/British players in it than all of the other clubs in there respective leagues. For example against Inter, we started with: Pellizolli, Panucci, Ferrari, De Rossi, Perrota, Cassano, Totti and Montella. But, this could be bad news for teams like Inter, who had only 1 italian starter (Toldo). Other clubs: like Juve, Inter, Milan etc etc in Italy, and teams like Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal and Chelsea will find it very difficult, to suvive, and again as Roma's youth team right now is brimming with Italian talent, I am 70-30 about making this law!

Johansson to talk with EU about restricting "foreign invasion"
MADRID, Spain (AP) – UEFA president Lennart Johansson will hold talks with the European Union about ensuring soccer teams include at least seven or eight national players in their squads, news reports said Tuesday.
Johansson said during a visit to Madrid on Monday that UEFA has drawn up a plan which is intended to protect youth-team players and national teams from “the foreign invasion.”
“Many clubs, due to the large numbers of foreign players in their squads, have lost their identity. Besides, young players are seeing their opportunities reduced,” Johansson was quoted as saying by national newspaper El Pais on Tuesday.
“Increasingly more people share my opinion. But it has to be set down in European law.”
Europe’s top teams regularly contain a majority of players from other EU countries and further afield.
Defender Sol Campbell was the only English player in Arsenal’s starting lineup against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, while FC Barcelona included just three Spanish players against Numancia the following day.
Johansson, who was in Madrid with UEFA chief executive Lars Christer Olsson to hold talks with Spanish federation president Angel Maria Villar, also repeated his call for Europe’s top leagues to comprise a maximum of 18 teams.
The Spanish, English, Italian and French leagues, which all have 20, are believed to oppose the move.
“Players from important clubs play the league, the Cup, the Champions League, European championships, World Cups, friendlies. In total, some 90 games a season. The burden is too big,” Johansson said.
 

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_Emerson

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2004
1,109
#2
Its good of course, Italians first in Serie A, English first in EPL, Spaniards first in Primera. It will also strengthen the national sides.
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
#3
Hate it. Not a fan of these policies to "protect" home talent, it's the club's choice whether they want to invest in foreign talent or home talent, as I think it should be. Juve have always had a policy to field many Italian players, Inter quite the opposite. In a free market place, the competition for places should be won by the best players, whether they are native or not.
 

_Emerson

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2004
1,109
#4
Dont you understand that it is important to protect home talent?, thats what makes this sport exist not only in south america.
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
#5
Home talent is already being taken care of in say Italy when they have the stupid rule about only signing one non-EU player per season. I like the game being international and having proper competition. Home talent will always break through if they're good enough.
 

Zlatan

Senior Member
Jun 9, 2003
23,049
#6
This will only make Italian players worse, not better. Good youngsters can already break throught (De Rossi, Cassano, Gilardino, Bonera, Farrari, etc) and dont need this help.

This would mean less competition for places and the worse overall quality of the league, which wouldnt help the players development very much. You can only improve if you beat those who are better than you.
 

_Emerson

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2004
1,109
#7
++ [ originally posted by Zlatan ] ++
This will only make Italian players worse, not better. Good youngsters can already break throught (De Rossi, Cassano, Gilardino, Bonera, Farrari, etc) and dont need this help.

This would mean less competition for places and the worse overall quality of the league, which wouldnt help the players development very much. You can only improve if you beat those who are better than you.
And according to you those better than you come from elsewere than Italy? :rolleyes:
 

vitoria_Ally

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2002
7,232
#10
Think about it as normal business: countries protect their job market from "foreing invasion" - so here they want to protect home talents and give chance to own guys, not foreigners.

I guess that the show may be less attracive by that protection, but somwhow I'm pro.

Here in Poland some clubs tend to buy young foreign players, cause it's cheaper than raise their own young players - so you cant say, how many talented people have been wasted cause of lack of money, so you cannot say, that home talent will always break through if they're good enough - at least not here.

So I wonder, if other countries do the same as we here.
 

KB824

Senior Member
Sep 16, 2003
31,656
#11
I don't like this. Although I don't think that it will make the Italian players worse, per se, because a star player is a star player, whether they are playing in their home league or elsewhere.


What it WILL do, is weaken the respective clubs, and therefore the leagues. The reason being is that marginal players will be given roster spots on domestic clubs simply because of nationality, and not on merit, and we as fans will miss out on great opportunities to watch these young latin American stars and players from non-eu countries. Selfishly speaking, what this also does is restrict American players from coming overseas to prove themselves, thereby increasing their individual quality, which will in turn help them on a National team level. Look, I'm all for having as many Italians on Juventus as possible, provided that they are the best players available.

It will hurt the product immensely in the long run. What it wil also do, in my opinion is that it will greatly take away characteristics about a certain club's style of play, because it seems to me that players from certain countries are developed to play a certain way, and when you mix those contrasting styles onto a club team, something wonderful and creative can come from it. On the other hand, if the overwhelming majority of players, say in Serie A are all Italian, then you're going to have a cookie-cutter league where everyone's skill set is basically the same as everyone else, save for a special once in a lifetime talent (Del Piero, Totti, Cassano). In other words, the only trait that you'll be able to notice that is any different is the color of their kits.

No thanks, and I say this despite my belief that the Juve youth system has the potential to be a solid one.
 
Dec 27, 2003
1,982
#14
Interesting topic but Im too busy atm to give a comprehensive analysis of it. Just two remarks I'd like to make though :

1) I am not against the presence of foreign players in the serie A. No one can question the enhancement of quality that the likes of Maradona, Zidane, Van Basten etc have brought to our league. Im not even too bothered by the fact that in the Roma-Inter clash the other night the only Italian playing for Inter was Toldo. What ticks me off though is the systematic importing of foreign players for the sake of it. Just because Francesco Flachi is a less exotic name than Igor Shalimov doesn't mean the former has to wait to be 30 before being given a chance in the élite while the latter is offered a 2 million euro a year contract at 23 for basically doing nothing. Typical pointless fascination we Italians have with anything foreign when oftentimes we have all we need at home.

2) From the late 60's to the early 80's, foreign players were forbidden from playing in the serie A, which was therefore a 100% italian league. In 1982 Italy won the World Cup.
 

Martin

Senior Member
Dec 31, 2000
56,913
#15
++ [ originally posted by Kaiser Franco ] ++
2) From the late 60's to the early 80's, foreign players were forbidden from playing in the serie A, which was therefore a 100% italian league. In 1982 Italy won the World Cup.
So for roughly 20 years no foreign players at all? I would say for pure entertainment value, having the league open to foreign players for 20 years is worth so much more than winning a World Cup.
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
111,312
#16
++ [ originally posted by Sergio ] ++
I don't like this. Although I don't think that it will make the Italian players worse, per se, because a star player is a star player, whether they are playing in their home league or elsewhere.


What it WILL do, is weaken the respective clubs, and therefore the leagues. The reason being is that marginal players will be given roster spots on domestic clubs simply because of nationality, and not on merit, and we as fans will miss out on great opportunities to watch these young latin American stars and players from non-eu countries. Selfishly speaking, what this also does is restrict American players from coming overseas to prove themselves, thereby increasing their individual quality, which will in turn help them on a National team level. Look, I'm all for having as many Italians on Juventus as possible, provided that they are the best players available.

It will hurt the product immensely in the long run. What it wil also do, in my opinion is that it will greatly take away characteristics about a certain club's style of play, because it seems to me that players from certain countries are developed to play a certain way, and when you mix those contrasting styles onto a club team, something wonderful and creative can come from it. On the other hand, if the overwhelming majority of players, say in Serie A are all Italian, then you're going to have a cookie-cutter league where everyone's skill set is basically the same as everyone else, save for a special once in a lifetime talent (Del Piero, Totti, Cassano). In other words, the only trait that you'll be able to notice that is any different is the color of their kits.

No thanks, and I say this despite my belief that the Juve youth system has the potential to be a solid one.
I agree 100% with Sergio and Martin. This change will not be good for Club football.
 

Elnur_E65

Senior Member
Feb 21, 2004
10,848
#18
I am leaning more towards supporting this initiative.

We do live in an interdependent world, but still...

UEFA should first clean up all the mess in National Teams, with foreigners accepting citizenship and playing, and then start talking about clubs.
 

_Emerson

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2004
1,109
#19
++ [ originally posted by Martin ] ++

So for roughly 20 years no foreign players at all? I would say for pure entertainment value, having the league open to foreign players for 20 years is worth so much more than winning a World Cup.

:rofl:, easy for you to say.
 

_Emerson

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2004
1,109
#20
++ [ originally posted by blackmint ] ++
Well, of course its not good. Its kind of discriminating in a way.
How is that discriminating?, its only talk about reducing the amount of foreigners. The society itself has alot of rules about invasion of foreigners, but i guess thats discriminating too for you.
 

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