Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong's long-time foreign minister, who was once asked if the French Revolution was a positive thing for mankind and replied "it's too soon to tell," would have been well-placed to comment on one sporting revolution that is already well under way and another revolution that a top sports official is desperate to launch.
"The strange and intriguing revolution," is how Kevin Mitchell, the Observer's chief sports writer, describes the challenge facing the century and a quarter of the world's oldest international tea m competition. Test Match cricket lasts five full days. But now, it has to withstand the challenge that comes from money and the TV-driven Indian super league, built around the highly-charged, ultra-modern, 20-over cricket - a game that lasts just a bit longer than a soccer match. Mitchell poses the "uncomfortable question - are the days of Test cricket numbered?"
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"People with a charged agenda are now in positions of considerable strength in the international game," he notes. "They are not traditionalists. They are businessmen pure and simple. We can't afford to be complacent."
Every bit as challenging, but perhaps holding out a little bit more hope for traditionalists who love their sport pure and simple, is another revolution. Unusually, it is being launched by a top sports administrator himself - soccer's Seth Blatter, the FIFA boss. Blatter charges that European clubs are "drying out soccer in Africa by signing the best young players and preventing the development of local professional leagues." On Wednesday, he renewed his campaign to stop European clubs from hoarding most of the world's best players. "It cannot be that only one continent will be the focus of all football," he said.
Just because we know that Mr. Blatter has a great personal interest in cultivating the votes of the 50-odd nations of Africa does not mean he does not have a major point. What in essence he is proposing is a "six plus five" rule. This would force all clubs, by 2012, to field at least six homegrown players in their starting lineups and limit the number of foreigners to five.
Blatter believes the rule would reverse the trend among some of Europe's elite clubs of fielding teams entirely made up of foreign players. "It will be good for the development of football if more players from Africa and Asia, and especially South America, will stay home," Blatter said. But he also believes the rule could be good for soccer in Europe by restoring the traditional identity of clubs and national leagues, and could strengthen national teams by offering more opportunities to homegrown players. "This is a matter of principle and we need to protect the national identity of the football clubs," is Blatter's rationale.
He argues that the top European leagues suffer from being dominated by the richest clubs, who buy the best foreign players and then increase their wealth in the lucrative Champions League. "Shall we let the rich become richer and just stay there and say nothing?" he said. While calling the Champions League "the best in the world," he said 80 percent of the income goes directly to 32 clubs. "This season, there were four English teams in the last eight, three in the semifinals and two are in the final. In the last years the Champions League was very successful in finances but it has also favored national inequality."
Strong opposition
UEFA, and EU lawmakers counter that it would be illegal to prevent the free movement of players. But Blatter says: "I appeal to Europe - not only to European football but the European Union - to look to promote this solidarity with world soccer. It is not enough to put money in development clubs all around the world, but you should also maintain the sporting spirit, the spirit of fair play."
Visionary he may be, but Blatter is unlikely to win. There is simply too much money at stake. Whether we think it is good or bad, the Premier League is awash with non-Brits, and whether it is good for English football or not, it is now, cynics say, way too late to implement new rules.
This attitude is highlighted by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "I am against it. Sport is competitive and competition is based on merit. It does not matter where you were born. It matters who you are." That is a very true statement from a great manager, but one cannot help thinking it was said against the background of the fact that his own side would be the team most disrupted by this rule coming into effect.
UEFA chief Michel Platini adds: "The Blatter philosophy is fantastic but legally it is difficult." The blunt truth is that the top European clubs, and the money their game generates through TV, is what keeps world soccer turning over at its present pace. So in the end, whatever they want, they get and the Blatter revolution is unlikely to win through. It will be an uphill battle.
But at least Blatter learned this week that he will be getting support from an unexpected source: Starting this autumn, non-European footballers who cannot speak English will be barred from joining Premier League clubs under the new points-based immigration system detailed by British government ministers. The introduction of an English language test, covering everyday phrases and simple conversation, forms part of a package of tougher rules for skilled migrants from outside Europe applying to work in Britain and for temporary workers and students. According to immigration minister Liam Byrne, Premier League footballers and other elite sports people will not be exempt.
Players obviously need to be able to confront a ref on level terms when they argue about getting a red card or try to convince the ref to issue one to an opponent. Revolutions have often started from stranger beginnings. Zhou take note.
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