WORLD CUP: Open borders and closed minds

* VAL MIGLIACCIO
* From: The Advertiser
* June 30, 2010

JEAN-MARC Bosman was just your average Belgian footballer.

Yet there was nothing average about the impact Bosman had on the game.

The then RFC Liege player managed to destroy English and Italian football traditions after his judicial challenge of the transfer rules led to the controversial Bosman ruling in the 1990s.

Two decades ago, most of Europe's top-flight leagues were thriving with just a maximum of three imports per club squad.

The Bosman ruling changed the face of those leagues, allowing clubs to sign as many foreign stars as they wished.

As the clubs spent millions trying to win trophies, the production of the game's talented younger players took a back seat.

It's no coincidence that England, belted by Germany 4-1 in the round of 16, and Italy, ousted in the group stage, returned home from the South African World Cup embarrassed.


Their domestic competitions, while vibrant and strong at the top end, have all but buried the future of their local players.

The Bosman ruling opened the borders for European footballers.

Gone are the days when you could watch AC Milan dominate European football with just three foreigners - Dutchmen Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit - in the '80s and '90s.

Bosman's victory allowed professional players within the European Union to move freely to other clubs at the end of their contracts.

The ruling changed the landscape of the cashed up leagues in England and Italy.

Spain and Germany initially embraced the free trade but have recently changed philosophies.

They have consciously eased the import quota after it was ruining their youth development schemes.

Spain and Germany have now invested heavily in juniors to ensure home-grown boys remain at the forefront of their competition and proud national teams.

That is in stark contrast to Italy's league champion Inter Milan, also this year's UEFA Champions League winner.

The Italian giant did not have one Italian in the starting XI when beating Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final.

It is little wonder that Italy - the 2006 World Cup champion - was woeful in South Africa when coach Marcello Lippi picked most of his squad from underachieving Juventus this year.

And England could not match it with the young German product because the players that surround their stars from glamour clubs Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United were simply not up to world-class standard.

English manager Fabio Capello had only a handful of star players to pick from those top-line clubs.

The result against Germany proved that England is a long way from catching up to the Germans.

Italy has already called its World Cup exit a crisis.

Without a doubt, the Azzurri will make the relevant changes by pleading with their top clubs to invest in local talent rather than spending on foreigners.

England and Italy can still return to the pinnacle of world football but it must act now before it's too late.

But it might take a decade for them to recover, which is just as long as it took the Bosman ruling to ruin the European domestic game in the 1990s.


http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/world-cup-open-borders-and-closed-minds/story-e6frecj3-1225885966393