December 16, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 5, 1428

TOKYO, Dec 15: FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday that football’s world ruling body is mulling whether to introduce certain curbs on the number of foreign players in clubs at its congress next year.

Blatter said debate about such a limit is prevalent “because we have to maintain, if not the local identity of a club, at least the national identity of a club”.

“We shall open the door to foreign players but not so much that you lose the identity,” Blatter told a news conference here on the sidelines of the Club World Cup.

Blatter added he had already addressed the identity issue a few years ago but it has now come to the fore partly because there are countries blaming their national team’s failures on large numbers of foreigners in their leagues.

“The FIFA strategic committee has been studying the issue and we will come up with a proposal at the next FIFA congress in Sydney in late May,” he added.

Blatter further said that he supposed a decision on the restrictions “can be, will be or must be accepted by the FIFA congress”.

He said that football greats such as Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini, now head of European football’s ruling body UEFA, are “working in the same direction”.

The FIFA chief said he was happy with the ongoing Club World Cup, which culminates with the final between Italy’s AC Milan and Boca Juniors of Argentina in Yokohama on Sunday, with regard to the identity issue.

Blatter said even AC Milan, studded with foreign stars led by Brazil’s Kaka, had six Italians in their starting line-up in a semi-final they won by beating Japan’s Urawa Reds 1-0 in Yokohama on Thursday. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti also made three substitutions all with Italian players.

Blatter noted that the other continental champions in the tournament had just two or three foreign players on the pitch at the same time.—AFP