Homegrown player quota a non-starter, says Wenger

ARSENE WENGER believes any moves to impose quotas of homegrown players on a team’s starting XI would be doomed to failure.

FIFA and the international players’ union, who signed a “memorandum of understanding”, have proposed the implementation of a six plus five system, whereby six members of a side must be eligible to play for the club’s national association.

But Wenger feels players must always be picked on their ability, and not their passport. “It is not to protect the national identity, it is to protect the national teams, their competitions, and their incomes,” he said.