EU gives red card to FIFA on 6+5 rule

Social affairs chief Vladimír Špidla has labelled as “direct discrimination” moves by the international footballing body FIFA to regulate the number of foreign players in club matches.

The 6+5 rule proposed by FIFA in 2007, so-called because it basically states that a club team must start a game with at least six players that would be eligible for the national team in which the club is based, directly contravenes the EU’s position on free movement of persons, the commissioner announced Wednesday.

“The European commission cannot possibly accept such a rule. We are ready to give this initiative a red card,” Špidla told journalists in Brussels.

“Football players are workers just like anybody else and that’s why free movement and non-discrimination rules do apply to them.

“A 6+5 rule would therefore constitute direct discrimination on the basis of country, nationality, something that is clearly unacceptable to the European commission.”

The commission made the announcement after releasing an independent study on a rule put forward by the European football association, UEFA, which advocates a ‘home-grown players’ approach.

This means that players, regardless of their nationality or age, can play on club teams as long as they have been trained by their club or by another club in the national association in a given country for at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21.

The study was carried out by culture and youth chief Ján Figel’, based on the commission’s 2007 white paper on sport.

“We are glad that UEFA has adopted a plan which does respect the principles of free movement,” Špidla said.

“The home-grown player system does not discriminate on the basis of nationality. That is a firm and clear conclusion that should be a guiding principle for further work.”

However, he did caution that the application of the rule could lead to discrimination.

“This business of home-grown players carries with it some indirect discrimination, but we have rules and ways of avoiding accusations of discrimination if it’s applied properly,” he added.

FIFA will be discussing the 6+5 proposal at its annual congress, which starts on Thursday. The commission said it is ready to launch infringement proceedings against any member state that tries to apply the rule and intends to carry out a “fresh analysis” on the free movement of footballers.

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