Hi,
This site is to highlight an issue of interest to Irish sports fans contained within the Lisbon Treaty which is being voted on for ratification by the electorate of the Republic of Ireland on June 12th.
For the first time the EU is establishing a competence for itself in Sport under Articles 123-125 of the Lisbon Treaty (Article 165 of the Consolidated Text). Also at the present time FIFA look set to adopt a home grown players rule for clubs, known as the '6+5' rule. This will be discussed at the Sydney FIFA Congress on May 29-30th.
The proposed '6+5 'rule would require clubs to have, at any point in time, 6 'home grown players' (defined as players qualified to play for the national team of the league the club plays in) on the field of play.
The impact of this proposal will require clubs to ensure that they have a preponderence of 'home grown players' in their squads. Make no mistake - this proposal has at it's heart an absolutely laudable objective in the advancement of football globally. In particular it is aimed at the situation that has been developing in many European leagues, and the English Premier League in particular, where very few (or none on occasion) domestic players feature in football teams at the highest level. Admitedly the club I follow, Arsenal, is by far the worst transgressor in this respect.
However, the impact of this proposal on the Republic of Ireland national team would be profound. Virtually all our Senior and most of our Junior squads are English and Scottish league based players. Down through the years all our best national team players have plied their trade in the top English and Scottish leagues rather than in our own domestic league. Plus many of our best players qualified for Ireland through the 'granny rule' where UK born and bred players qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland through their entitlement to Irish Citizenship and passport by virtue of having at least one Irish born grandparent. Names such John Aldridge, Ray Houghton Mick McCarthy, Andy Townsend and Tony Cascarino immediately spring to mind.
However if the EU legislate for FIFA's '6+5' rule, which Articles 123-25 of the Lisbon Treaty give them the power to do, then the quality of players available to our national team (as well as that of other small EU States) will be greatly diminished. First of all English and Scottish clubs will not recruit young Irish players, they may only take the cream of the domestic league, and UK/Irish dual qualifying players will declare for the UK where the pay and opportunities are a vast multiple of what the Irish domestic game could offer: thereby cutting off overnight what has been a rich vein for sourcing players for our national teams.
As matters stand at present the FIFA proposals could not be applied in the EU under the freedom of movement provisions of existing EU Treaties. Indeed previous (2005) much more limited UEFA proposals were blocked by these very same provisions. However, Article 124 (Article 165 of the Consolidated Text) allows the EU to "develop the European dimension in Sport, by promoting fairness and openness in sporting competitions" and in order to achieve this objective "the European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure...........shall adopt incentive measures.....(and) the Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt recommendations." Clearly, FIFA's '6+5' proposal, or a version of it, would come within the EU's competence under Article 124 if the Lisbon Treaty is adopted by the Irish people by referendum on June 12th. Also this will be a matter where Ireland will have no veto on in the European Council. It will be subject to Qualified Majority Voting (QMV) where Ireland has just 7 of the 345 votes of the 27 Member States.
It is of course speculative at this point whether the EU would legislate for FIFA's proposed '6+5' rule or some compromised version of it, but what is certain is that FIFA, a powerful body in world sport, will certainly lobby hard for it. Indeed FIFA President Sepp Blatter specifically mentions lobbying the EU in the 3rd link below. Under existing arrangements this is not possible, and if Lisbon is ratified by Ireland on June 12th the door is opened to this possibility which is not the case at present. However, the same people, interest groups and political party's that are pushing for a Yes to Lisbon did not seem to realise that when we voted Yes to the Nice Treaty (at the second time of asking!) that we were also voting for water charges in our schools which only came to light late last year!!
For my own part I represent no one but myself. I do not represent any political party or other group in advocating a No vote on the Lisbon Treaty. This is just what I have spotted after hearing that the Lisbon Treaty would give for the first time the EU a competence in Sport. It should be of major interest to Irish football and sports fans in general as an issue to consider when YOU decide how you cast your vote on June 12th.
Yours in Sport.
Pat Murphy.
Contact: votenoto6plus5@gmail.com
LINKS
FIFA
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/releases/newsid=681002.html#fifa+ioc+hold+productive+meeting+with+eu+ministers
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/media/newsid=684707.html#yes+principle+rule
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/president/news/newsid=762500.html
UEFA
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=65536/index.html
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=2048/newsid=605299.html
LISBON TREATY
http://europa.eu/lisbon_treaty/full_text/index_en.htm
