Sepp Blatter wants to ruin your Summer Vacation

By: Bob | December 4th, 2006

FIFA head honcho and close personal friend to all of us, Sepp Blatter, was back at it today, smoking the wacky weed and throwing out ideas for how the modern world of football can be improved. His latest save the broken football world idea is that the European leagues should adopt a schedule that begins in late February and finish at the end of November. The longer winter break would be used for national team games.

“I’ve just proposed to the clubs: play through the summer, make the season like the calendar year,” the head of soccer’s world governing body said. “This would leave enough time for players to recover and there could be blocks of three weeks of qualifying games in winter.

“This idea is supported by big European clubs,” Blatter said.

Football is essentially year-round these days anyway, so adopting a summer schedule wouldn’t change my life as much as the new razor I just bought, but it does raise the question of what would happen during the years when there is a World Cup or the European Championships. Would the leagues suspend play for 6-8 weeks or would they play on like MLS does during World Cup summers? Blatter did not address this question or the impact a summer move would have on attendance and television ratings.

But he did chime in on the so-called ‘6 5′ plan, which would limit the number of foreign players on the field to five at a time. Blatter is all for it, even though it probably runs afoul of those pesky European Union laws regarding free labor movement. When will those foolish cats at the EU finally realize that FIFA really rules the continent? About the proposed plan, Blatter said:

“First, it will bring a higher identification between clubs and fans,” he said. “Second, it would raise the opportunities for talents. And third, the clubs’ finances would benefit if they take players from their own schools.”

His first point may or may not be correct. Less player turnover can build a bond between players and fans as long as the players who stick around are quality. His second point makes no sense at all. It would raise the opportunities for marginal domestic players while limiting opportunities for players around the world. His final point is also debatable. If Arsenal had to give up a lot of their foreign talent and consequently were not as good would they make as much money in the Champions League and other venues? Hard to say, but given Blatter’s track record it is very easy to be wary of anything that passes his lips.