By Andrew Warshaw
June 13 – UEFA have been forced to backtrack over their home-grown player demands following pressure from the international players’ union, FIFpro.
UEFA insists that teams playing in Europe must field at least eight home-grown players in their squads of 25 but have reluctantly conceded that isn’t fair when applied to Manchester City and Paris St Germain who have been ordered to name 21-man squads next season in the Champions League after falling foul of financial fair play regulations.
FIFpro says that if the overall squads are reduced, so must the home-grown player quota so UEFA have lowered that to five for those two particular clubs.
UEF genereal secretary Gianni Infantino (pictured), in Sao Paulo for this week’s FIFA Congress, said: “It came after a request from the players union FIFPro saying when you take these kind of sanctions and measures you cannot harm the players and the rights of a player who has a contract for the behaviour of the clubs.
“So we looked at it and it was felt appropriate there for the number to be proportionally reduced as well.”
Manchester City and PSG were each fined €60 million over three years, which could be reduced to a single year if financial targets are met in the following two. The clubs also have to cap their wage bills for the next two seasons.
UEFA defines home-grown players as those who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club – or by another club in the same national association – for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21.
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