Sepp Blatter said he would be lobbying the European Union to "stop the overwhelming presence of non-national players in club leagues." Under FIFA's proposal, each team could field only five foreigners in its starting side of eleven — roughly half the number powerhouse clubs like London's Arsenal and Chelsea regularly trot out.

This has long been one of Blatter's pet issues. "When you have 11 foreigners in a team, this is not good for the development of football, for the education of young players," Blatter told reporters last month.