'Six-plus-five' quota is a must, says FIFA president Blatter

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FIFA president Blatter is more determined than ever to drive through his 'six-plus-five' plan after watching clubs from a country who failed to qualify for Euro 2008 command the Continent's premier club competition.

Blatter: driving the change

The proposal is certain to face a strong legal challenge from the European Union but FIFA's executive committee have just unanimously approved the idea and Blatter will not be deterred.

FIFA's congress are expected to vote in favour when they meet in Australia this week. Blatter said: "We have had confirmation by all the confederations, including Europe, that everybody favours the objectives of the 'six-plus-five'."

The plan is to restrict the number of foreign players from the start of the 2010-11 season by introducing a quota of four players in each starting XI who must be eligible for the national side of the country where they play.

This would be increased to five in 2011-12 and six in 2012-13. Figures released yesterday by BBC Sport show the number of English players in the Premier League last season was at an all-time low -170 of the 498 players who started top-flight games in 2007-08 were English.

However, the Manchester United team which won in Moscow did have six English starters - Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and Wayne Rooney.

Blatter said: '"At the end of the Champions League in Europe you have four teams of the same association in the quarter-finals; three of these teams in the semi-finals. Then in the final are you surprised to have two teams of the same association? We want to bring some remedies and this is the "six-plus-five" rule's objective.

"It is to make sure there is better balance in the competitions and not only three or four teams in a league of 18 or 20 are fighting to be the champion and all the others are just there to not be relegated.

"As Kevin Keegan recently said, 'I can only start my season to fight to be fifth or sixth or seventh. It is impossible for me to go into the top four'."