LONDON – FIFA president Sepp Blatter is leading a move to cut domestic soccer leagues to 16 clubs and that is almost certain to lead to conflict with the Premier League and Spain’s La Liga who have 20. He warned that, if the restriction becomes a FIFA rule, then any association that doesn’t abide by it could be severely punished such as losing its national team.
In a move to avoid another tragedy like the death of Cameroon star Marc-Vivien Foe, who had a heart attack on the field at last month’s Confederations Cup, Blatter plans to push through a reduction in league soccer games at the next FIFA Congress in Doha in October.
While Foe’s death proved to be natural causes because of a heart defect and Blatter continued to defend FIFA’s staging of the Confederations Cup, he admitted that too much soccer was putting players at risk.
« We must do something otherwise we will never get off this carousel of too much football with no holidays for the players, injuries and even deaths, » he told reporters in London. « The quality of football will suffer if there continues to be too much.
« We have to protect the players. I don’t want to bury players. »
Blatter said he was confident that most associations would abide by a rule. But he had a warning for any who didn’t.
« There would be no more national team only club football, » he said. « No more England. »
Blatter said that cutting the number of domestic games could give players far more chance to rest between matches.
« The ideal number in a league should be 16, have 30 league matches and then cup matches and international club matches on top, » he said.
« I will bring this up in the congress in Doha where it can be discussed and then it shall be decided at the ordinary congress in May next year in Paris.
« If such a decision is taken by the congress I am sure everyone will abide by it. But it will not happen immediately, » Blatter said. « There needs to be time to adapt and it will take place step by step. »
Football Association spokesman Adrian Bevington said it was too early to say what would happen in the Premier League.
« Clearly this is hypothetical and is not an issue of discussion at this time, » he said. « However as a national association the English FA would always endeavor to abide by FIFA rules. »
