Blatter keen on 'six-plus-five'

FIFA president Sepp Blatter hopes the controversial 'six-plus-five' rule will be in place by the 2012/13 season.

Blatter said rules restricting the number of foreign players each club can field could be in place from the start of the 2010/11 season, beginning with a four/seven quota.

He expects it to grow to six/five by 2012/13 and said: "It's to make sure that there is better balance in the competitions and not only three or four teams in a league of 18 or 20 are fighting to be the champion and all the others are just there to not be relegated."

He added: "As (Newcastle manager) Kevin Keegan recently said: 'I can only start my season to fight to be fifth or sixth or seventh. It is impossible for me to go into the final four'.

"At the end of the Champions League in Europe you have in the quarter-finals four teams of the same association; in the semi-finals three of these teams.

"Then in the final you are surprised that you have two teams of the same association?

"We want to bring some remedies and this is the six-plus-five rule's objective."

Blatter emerged from a two-day meeting of FIFA's executive committee convinced the proposal would be accepted when the congress votes on it later this week.

"The executive committee unanimously supported the proposed resolution concerning the six-plus-five rule," he said.

"We've had confirmation by all the confederations, including Europe, that everybody favours the objectives of the six-plus-five."