Blatter slams Europe's big clubs

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has accused Europe's richest clubs of "despicable" behaviour and engaging in "social and economic rape" as they scour the developing world for talent.

His comments echoed those made before this month's World Cup preliminary round draw when the 67-year-old head of world soccer's governing body railed against the many wrongs he sees in the world game.

"I find it unhealthy, if not despicable for rich clubs to send scouts shopping in Africa, South America and Asia to 'buy' the most promising players there," Blatter wrote in a column in Wednesday's Financial Times newspaper.

"Europe's leading clubs conduct themselves increasingly as neo-colonialists who don't give a damn about heritage and culture, but engage in social and economic rape by robbing the developing world of its best players.

"Dignity and integrity tend to fall by the wayside in what has become a glorified body market.

"If we are not careful, football may degenerate into a game of greed -- a trend I will vigorously oppose."

Blatter, who last year was re-elected FIFA president for a second term and has a mandate to remain in the job until at least 2007, also hit out at the number of foreign imports in the English game.

"I am also disturbed by the recent trend whereby players representing wealthy clubs in England and elsewhere are increasingly a hotchpotch of nationalities," he said.

FOREIGN LEGIONNAIRES

"Many clubs don't deserve to be regarded as English any more because they are dominated by foreign legionnaires, whose allegiance is solely to whichever paymaster happens currently to be rewarding them to the tune of 30,000 pounds, 50,000 or even 100,000 pounds a week."

Blatter strongly defended FIFA's right to generate cash from international competitions despite criticism from some quarters that top players are expected to play too many matches.

He said FIFA, under Swiss Law, was a "non-profit" association unlike "billionaire clubs" who "have to maximise their own income...to absorb the ludicrously high player costs they are now lumbered with as a result of their own private but cut-throat competition to sign up the biggest stars".

Blatter was not backing down in his stand-off with the G14 group of Europe's 18 richest and biggest clubs, who want compensation for their top players being called away on international duties.

The G14 has threatened to take the case to the European Court of Justice but Blatter said the demands of what he has previously referred to G14 as a "non-recognised organisation" were addressed to the wrong body.

"FIFA does not sit on the money generated by the World Cup and other tournaments," he said.

"It pays a grand total of $264 million to the 204 national associations and six confederations over such a period. It follows that claims such as the G14's for clubs to be compensated for releasing their players for major tournaments should be addressed not to FIFA, but to the FAs who receive the vast majority of the funds generated."