Homegrown player plans revealed
Thursday, 3 February 2005
By Mark Chaplin in Nyon
UEFA has unveiled proposed new rules on locally trained players to the public and European football family.
Nyon conference
The UEFA Executive Committee presented the proposed regulations, which would apply to future UEFA club competitions, to the conference of presidents and general secretaries of UEFA's member associations held today at the European governing body's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Official approval to come
UEFA has also asked its 52 member associations to consider applying the same rule for their domestic competitions. The proposals will now be presented to the national associations for official approval at the UEFA Ordinary Congress in Tallinn, Estonia in April.
Squad places reserved
The 'A' list that teams submit for UEFA club competitions will continue to be limited to 25 players, and from season 2006/07, at least two places on this list will be reserved for players trained by the club's own football academy and a further two places for players trained by other clubs from within the same association of the said club. The 'B' list will also continue to exist - involving an unlimited number of Under-21 players who have been at the club for two seasons.
Target for 2008/09
In the following two seasons, one additional place for a club-trained and one additional place for an association-trained player will be reserved on the 'A' list, so that by the 2008/09 season, each club will have in its 25-man squad four club-trained and four association-trained players.
Definitions
A club-trained player is defined as a player who has been registered for a minimum of three seasons with the club between the age of 15 and 21, whereas an association-trained player is a player who has been registered for at least three seasons by the club or by other clubs affiliated to the same association of the said club between the age of 15 and 21.
Consultation process
The proposals have been revealed after a lengthy consultation process between UEFA and clubs, leagues, national associations, players' bodies, coaches, European political authorities and politicians, and national governments. "We think [the proposal] is a reasonable compromise based on all the consultations we have had, " said UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson. "Although we have had negative responses from some leagues and some bigger clubs in those leagues, all the others involved have been very supportive of this idea. We also think the proposal is legal, because it is a sporting rule, not a restriction, to develop and promote young players."
Negative trends
The proposals have been made after UEFA identified a number of perceived negative trends in European football - lack of incentive in training players, lack of identity in local/regional teams, lack of competitive balance, "hoarding" of players and related problems for national teams.
Restoring balance
UEFA also commissioned an economic study that identified a tendency towards less competitive balance in UEFA club competitions and domestic leagues, an increased link between money and sporting success and for clubs to play fewer local-trained players. The proposals aim to provide more incentive for clubs to train their own players, as well as for the restoration of a competitive balance, firstly at UEFA club competition level, and then at national level if associations accept and implement UEFA's recommendations.
'Something has to be done'
"It seems that as a result of the conference today, most of the associations will now introduce similar schemes in their own domestic competitions," said Mr Olsson. "I think everybody recognises that something has to be done."
UEFA out to get the balance right
Thursday, 3 February 2005
By Mark Chaplin in Nyon
Restoring football's competitive balance is one of the reasons why UEFA is proposing new rules on locally trained players - first in its own club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup, and then possibly in domestic competitions if UEFA's 52 national associations accept the proposals this spring.
Concrete proposals
On Thursday, the European body revealed concrete proposals whereby from 2006/07, clubs playing in the UEFA club competitions would first have to include, in squads limited to 25 players, two players trained by the club's own academy and two players trained by other clubs from the same association.
Eight out of 25
Over the following two seasons, one additional place for a club-trained and one additional place for an association-trained player would be reserved on the 'A' list that clubs submit to UEFA for European club competitions, so that by the 2008/09 season, each club would have in its 25-man squad four club-trained and four association-trained players.
Definitions
A club-trained player is defined as a player who has been registered for a minimum of three seasons with the club between the age of 15 and 21, whereas an association-trained player is one who has been registered for at least three seasons by the club or by other clubs affiliated to the same association between the age of 15 and 21. The proposals do not involve players' nationalities.
Less competitive
Studies commissioned by UEFA show that for some ten years or so, both the UEFA club competitions and European domestic top flights have become less competitive, with the same clubs constantly competing for the honours in many countries. "There have been fewer teams winning the competitions, whether it is European competitions or national competitions, over this period," UEFA Chief Excutive Lars-Christer Olsson told uefa.com.
Stopping 'hoarding'
"This is why the proposal also limits the size of the squad [to 25], because we have found out in our studies that some clubs are 'hoarding' players to have bigger squads, or, in some cases, to prevent other clubs having the players - and many players who were national-team players when recruited by clubs have not been playing, or not even sitting on the bench in some cases. Perhaps reducing squads will also have a positive effect on some clubs' finances.
Clear trends
"The trends are clear. We have done studies showing that compared to around 1995/96, when the Bosman ruling was introduced, the number of players trained in an association and playing in [that association's] top league has gone down by 30 per cent."
Political support
Mr Olsson admitted that there had been negative responses to the proposals from some major leagues and their larger clubs, but added that the majority of stakeholders consulted had been in favour. "We don't think there should be any legal problems - of course [the system] could be challenged - but we have talked to [political authorities] in Brussels about this matter, and there is a group in the European parliament called 'Friends of Football' who are very supportive of this initiative - they have even said that more should be done.
Positive noises
"We have been talking to people within the European Commission, and they have told us that as long as UEFA does nothing illegal, it is fine with them. There are a lot of positive political noises around."
I am still unsure since neither of these say the have to be the nationality of the country where the club is located. I want to know what homegrown player means. If it means just a player who has played for the inter youth team then Oba qualifies as a home grown player.
yo
