Heyesey
20-02-2008, 20:17
Following on from a different thread where we've rather wandered off the original subject, this story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7254516.stm) has appeared on the BBC website. Plans to restrict the number of non-national players in teams - at least in those of EU countries - are dead in the water before they even get proposed.
'Tis a shame, because it would even out the playing field - but when looking at football from a strictly-business point of view, as the EU commission does, there's no reason the playing field SHOULD be evened out. Business which are less successful should not be propped up.
Of course, any sports fan can see the gaping hole in this argument. From a strictly-business angle, Manchester United would achieve ultimate success if every single football fan supported them and all other football clubs went under - but in practice, that would be their death knell, as they would have nobody to play games against! You can't apply normal business rules to a sport, because in a sport, it is against one company's interests, to have other companies go bust. Unfortunately the EU commission can't, or won't, accept the argument.
'Tis a shame, because it would even out the playing field - but when looking at football from a strictly-business point of view, as the EU commission does, there's no reason the playing field SHOULD be evened out. Business which are less successful should not be propped up.
Of course, any sports fan can see the gaping hole in this argument. From a strictly-business angle, Manchester United would achieve ultimate success if every single football fan supported them and all other football clubs went under - but in practice, that would be their death knell, as they would have nobody to play games against! You can't apply normal business rules to a sport, because in a sport, it is against one company's interests, to have other companies go bust. Unfortunately the EU commission can't, or won't, accept the argument.