Premier League U-turn on home-grown players quota is good news for England
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore signaled a huge change of stance when he unveiled the new policy which will restrict the size and make-up of club squads from next season .
Excuse me, but surely we're not talking about the same Richard Scudamore who was so scathing about the idea just 18 months ago?
Oh, we are. And having performed one U-turn already, the Premier League's dismissal of FIFA boss Sepp Blatter's plans for the "six plus five" rule meaning that every club in the top flight will have to field six English-qualified players in their starting side may begin to slide soon.
Bizarrely, it is the people of the Republic of Ireland - and the German and Czech governments - that hold the key.
If all three ratify the Lisbon Treaty - the latest Irish polls ahead of the October 2 referendum show it is likely to be voted through - it will have an immediate impact on football.
The terms of the Treaty include, for the first time, giving sport "specificity" and "autonomy" - in effect exemption from EU Law over freedom of movement for workers.
That means that, despite all the nay-saying from the Premier League, a "Yes" vote in Dublin next month would open the way for six plus five to start to be introduced as early as next year.
I've never hidden my support of the idea that is Blatter's main hobby horse because I want more English players playing in English football.
That doesn't make me a xenophobe or a racist, just somebody who is concerned about the foreign influx - understandable from the clubs who use their money as they are allowed to under the current regulations - preventing younger home-grown talent getting the chance to play and gain the experience they need.
And, almost as a side issue, England and the FA need Blatter onside if we are to win the battle to host the 2018 World Cup.
With Michel Platini determined to demand one European candidate for the contest - the odds are that this would be Spain, rather than England - it means the FA would be fighting with both arms tied behind its back, only able to guarantee one of the eight UEFA votes on the 24-man FIFA executive committee, from former FA chairman Geoff Thompson.
If that scenario develops, then the FA will need to have Blatter rail-roading through the voters from Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.
And to have any chance of getting the FIFA chief, the FA must come out and give a full declaration of support for six plus five, no matter what Scudamore and his clubs think about it.
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