Blatter puts reputation on line

By Ossian Shine

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The fault-line between world football's governing body and European law makers threatens to fracture into a full-blown schism when FIFA president Sepp Blatter brings his plans to curb the number of foreigners at clubs to FIFA's annual congress in Sydney next week.

At stake is more than a set of sporting regulations, but also the reputation of a consummate sports politician and survivor who may find the odds stacked against him in this battle of ideologies.

On the one side sits Swiss Blatter, who's oft-stated credo is to nurture soccer and ensure its growth and well-being. He could look for support to those nations who routinely suffer an exodus of talent to the rich, European leagues.

Across the indelibly drawn battle lines sit an encampment of opponents who say the so-called "6+5" proposal -- limiting the number of foreign players who start a match to five -- is a product of jealousy and an unworkable policy which contravenes the European Union's free movement of workers rules.

Already, Blatter's proposal would seem to have placed great strain on the harmony between soccer's leagues and the sport's national, regional and global bodies. Whether it will lead to more serious, permanent damage, remains to be seen.

England's Premier League has blamed the proposal to limit foreign players on jealousy.

"There is an envy out there. You cannot deny it. It is there," Premier League chief executive Peter Scudamore said recently, describing the English top flight as "a ladder to the stars".

Scudamore says the proposal is a result of legislators looking at English football - European Champions League winners Manchester United and runners-up Chelsea both play in England's top flight - and deeming it far too successful.