UEFA announced the proposals some weeks agao but they were confirmed yesterday when the Uefa executive committee met the national associations in Nyon.
The final proposals are not as draconian as first feared but they are still likely to be resisted by some clubs though UEFA are confident that the proposals will benefit the development of youth talent.
"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 as a restriction, to develop and promote young players. Compared to 1995/6 when the Bosman ruling on freedom of movement was introduced, there are now 30 percent less players coming from one country now playing for their clubs in that country in the top division. The trend is very clear and European football has realised that it must be addressed and reversed."
David Dein believes that the scheme "restricts the free movement of workers" and said: "It's misguided and it will almost certainly be challenged."
Under the scheme UEFA will insist that clubs must have at least four such players in their 25-man squads from 2006-07, with the number rising to six a season later and finally to eight for 2008-09.
Uefa would like the scheme adopted by domestic leagues across Europe to encourage clubs to bring more players through academies and to field more local talent. It believes this would ease the dominance of a few clubs in leagues and club competitions.
Under the ruling, half the "home-grown" players will have to come through a club's own academy and half from the academies of other clubs in the same country. Nationality would not be an issue, with a player qualifying as home-grown if he has been registered for a minimum of three seasons with a club between the age of 15 and 21. It means that the likes of Ronaldo, Rossi and Pique would qualify if they stayed at OT for three years.
Interesting aside from the Times:
' All of the Premiership’s top five clubs at present, plus Celtic and Rangers, could name a 25-man squad to meet the requirement of eight home- grown players, although the squads submitted for last season’s Champions League by Arsenal, Chelsea, Celtic, Rangers and Ajax would not have done so. The remainder of the 32 competing clubs met the criteria.'