Newly re-elected president of UEFA, Michel Platini, has backed FA Chairman Greg Dyke’s calls to toughen up on rules surrounding homegrown and overseas players, hinting he may follow suit.
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Dyke wants to up the amount of homegrown players needed in each Premier League squad from eight to 12, to be implemented starting in the 2016/17 season, in a bid to improve the proportion of English talent in the top flight.
Like the Premier League, UEFA competitions also stipulate that clubs competing must have eight homegrown players in their squads, but Platini may want to follow the English top division’s example.
He said, “This is a position we defend. We’re not only talking about England, we’re talking all of Europe. Mr Dyke’s struggle with the FA is something we share and we agree with him.
“With the new leader of the European Commission it is important we establish close relations to see how we can protect homegrown young players in the different countries. We share the same perspective. We will work hand in hand to defend an idea that we think is the right one.”
It is unlikely that Dyke’s plan will find favour with many top flight clubs who will be desperate to preserve their freedom, especially having pumped £340 million into the Elite Player Performance Plan.
Platini also backed the election of David Gill to the FIFA executive committee. He said, “David will arrive – he is young, he will bring his experience and his knowhow and his solutions. There are people who are happy with how things are now. We have to defend European football without breaking world football.”