in The Bahamas
The 59th annual congress of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) ended yesterday here at the Atlantis Hotel, Paradise Island, Nassau with FIFA president Sepp Blatter declaring himself a “very happy president” despite failing to push through with the 6+5 ruling.
“I am a happy president, a very happy president after this congress. The unity in this family…The solidarity and democracy have been applied and finally, we have put together matters in a kind of a declaration”, Blatter told members of the international meeting at the press conference which was pushed back by 15 minutes owing to the late completion of the congress.
Blatter might have other reasons for being happy one of which was the fact that FIFA’s coffers are in excellent health with reserves of one billion dollars in cash.
The other might just have to do with the splendid organisation of the congress by The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) and the host confederation CONCACAF with Blatter declaring afterwards…”Bahamas is a small country but a paradise.”
Some 205 member countries attended yesterday’s congress with Blatter stating that Angola was unable to participate because of flight problems.
Disciplined congress
Blatter declared yesterday’s congress a very disciplined one which he said showed that FIFA was aware of its responsibilities.
“I have rarely seen such a disciplined congress. The congress did not have any problems of order or discipline which has been the case in the past,” he said adding that FIFA needed to take its responsibility to protect the game, protect the players and strengthen the governance seriously.
Ninety-eight per cent of the congress voted in favour of a declaration aimed at safeguarding the values of football and protecting the game and the players.
Speaking at the congress yesterday morning Blatter said …”It is our duty to the youth of the world to protect young players. We must do it together.”
Measures arrived at by the executive committee in this respect will come into force on October 1, 2009.
Blatter also touched on the health of the players declaring:” Everybody, everybody, is responsible for his health.”
Blatter said FIFA would do all in its power to protect the young players with issues such as transfers and registration of players but criticised the motivation of some of the young players coming in.
He spoke of the financial crisis and said he hoped that the crisis had reached the bottom… ”so we can go up. If not, you’ve seen the equity, the reserves, cash, and one billion. So we can work a little bit not for us but for the national associations,” he declared.
6+5 on hold
Blatter said he was not upset with the fact that the 6+5 rule has been put on hold until next year. According to the rule each club must field at least 6 players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club. However, there is no restriction on the number of non-eligible players under contract with the club, or on substitutes. “We have said that we have to do it in the compound of the existing law. It’s the solution of the congress I don’t go against the solution,” he said.
The 6+5 rule has been shelved until FIFA is able to decide whether the rule would break any of Europe’s labour laws.
“They are no longer saying it would be illegal, they are saying we can ask ourselves the question whether it would be legal or illegal,” he added.
“The 6+5, it’s just a question of time and everybody has realised that something very special was in the room when it came to these items,” Blatter said.
“When and if the Lisbon Treaty is adopted, then we will come back to you and ask if you are still behind us.”
The theme of the congress was protecting the players, protecting the game and strengthening football governance said FIFA press officer Nicolas Maingot.
