Italy manager glad to see the back of ‘foreigner’ Kaka
Marcello Lippi is quite a character. The Italy coach - pictured shirt lifting with Gennaro Gattuso - once claimed there are no gay footballers, and can now add a string of xenophobia to his thoroughly illiberal bow.
When Sky Italia asked about Kaka’s world record move to Real Madrid, the 61-year-old didn’t exactly lament Serie A’s loss:
The more foreigners that leave Italy, the better it is for Italian Calcio.
Granted, Lippi would have a greater selection for his national side if Serie A was devoid of any foreign talent, but of course, it would also make for a much weaker league, with far less revenue-generating potential.
If Lippi was coaching in England, someone would have thrown an egg at him in the street by now.
FIFA boss claims foreigners in the Prem have harmed the national side
Sepp Blatter - a man whose comments are always informative, cutting edge and universally welcomed among the football community - has claimed the influx of foreign players in the Premier League has weakened the English national side:
“In the strong Premier League teams the best players are not always English.
“These teams are preparing national players for England’s opponents.
During a congress held at the home of football, Sydney, Australia, FIFA delegates have overwhelmingly voted in favour of Sepp Blatter’s ‘six-plus-five’ plan, which would could limit the amount of foreign players in a team to five. The BBC sez:
Blatter wants to restrict the number of foreign players in teams by the start in the 2010/11 season, with a minimum of four home-grown players.
He added he expects it to grow to six, with a maximum of five foreigners, by 2012/13 - and claims the plan has the backing of key European delegates.
In contrast, the “home-grown players” rule, which is set to be expanded from next season, has received EU backing. That means four players in a Champions League or Uefa Cup squad must have been developed by the club, with another four having been produced by clubs from the same federation.
The rule is discriminatory and contradicts European law, and seems to be going down about as well as Blatter’s suggestion that women footballers should wear tighter shorts. But what do you think? Would a shake-up like this be good for the game? Would it encourage the big teams to invest more in their youth training structures? Votes and comments below, please.
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