Blatter is Blithering Again

Sadly, and no doubt predictably, it was too good to last. After a few pertinent remarks about the dangers of power, greed and multi-club ownership in football, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has reverted to type and is back to his blithering best.

First up, he’s off on his own personal Rooney crusade once again. Not content with the fatuous declaration, some weeks ago, that Wayne needs a good clip round the ear (we’d like to see him try!), he’s now suggesting that the boy has no chance of becoming one of the world’s great players unless Sven and Sir Alex get tough with him – an idea that is certain to render the Manchester United boss incandescent with rage.

The most charitable interpretation of Sepp’s views on this matter is that they are ludicrous. To begin with, many respected judges believe that Wayne is already accepted as one of the world’s great players, and if he has a problem with aggression, he is hardly likely to be reformed by the application of aggression directed at him. More importantly, Blatter’s timing is, as ever, flawed. It does nothing for his case to release remarks such as this immediately after an international (England v Poland) in which the player’s conduct was impeccable and his performance outstanding.

But you wouldn’t expect Sepp to stop at Rooney, or Eriksson, or Ferguson. He has another, grander, mission – to force through legislation that obliges clubs to field at least six home grown players in their squads.

It will be interesting to see how he justifies this project. What, for instance is a ‘home grown’ player? Must he be English? Could he be Welsh, or Scottish, or even Irish (and if Irish, north or south, or either)? Might he be ‘foreign’ (God forbid) provided the club concerned had nurtured his talents from a certain age in their academy? And how is the magic figure of six ‘home grown’ players arrived at? Why not four, or three, or…?

Given his track record, Sepp may need a bit of help when (or indeed if) he gives these and other relevant questions serious thought. He might for instance consult Jose Mourinho, who allegedly believes he has a ‘moral responsibility’ to sign and develop English players – an easy stance to adopt when you already have outstanding players like John Terry and Frank Lampard (whom, incidentally, Mourinho did not bring to Chelsea). Or given his present antipathy against much that Chelsea stand for, he might speak to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. That too would be difficult since although he would learn a lot – not least because Wenger is a great deal more intelligent than he appears to be – it would not be what he wants to hear. This is because Arsene has the curious notion that as Arsenal’s manager his duty is to recruit, develop and select the best players, world class players, irrespective of their nationality or the colour of their skin.

If Sepp thinks about that, really thinks, the penny (or should it be ‘euro’?) might drop. He might just realise that far from being restrictive or exclusive, it is the only truly inclusive policy possible – one which is rooted in equal opportunity and exceptional talent and application, rather than some half-baked xenophobic argument that clearly has more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese.