World soccer chief Sepp Blatter has hit out at English Premiership clubs over their attempts to prevent African players turning out for their countries in the African Nations Cup finals this month.
Relegation-threatened Tottenham last week tried to persuade 12-goal Freddie Kanoute, born in France of Mali parents, from playing in Tunisia.
Kanoute, Leeds United’s Lamine Sakho and Mohamed Sissoko of Spanish club Valencia have all played for the France under-21 side but have applied to change countries under new Fifa rules because they have dual nationality and have not played for the France A team.
Kanoute and Sissoko have been called up by Mali, and Sakho is wanted by Senegal for the tournament in Tunisia, which starts on January 24.
The decision on whether the players should be allowed to play for Mali lies with Tunisia’s Slim Aloulou, the chairperson of Fifa’s players’ status committee who will make a ruling later on Wednesday.
But Fifa president Blatter has already given his approval.
”His case should be crystal clear: there would be nothing to stop him playing for Mali, once the players’ status committee has confirmed his eligibility, if that is what he wants to do,” Blatter told the Financial Times.
”Club managers and coaches would be well advised not only to observe international rules, but to stop trying to obstruct players’ legitimate rights.
”Fifa will always defend those rights, even when adopting such a stance makes us unpopular.
”Given the expanding role of African — and increasingly also Asian — players in English football, it is high time managers and coaches, shareholders and owners understood that the Premier League is only one string in their players’ bows.”
Blatter was also critical of Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers who have been resisting releasing Nigeria’s Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha at the latest possible moment.
”It cannot be acceptable to recruit such stars and then demand that they show disrespect to their countries if a tournament or international fixture clashes with premiership matches — particularly if they are part of the international coordinated calendar,” he said. — Sapa-AFP