Olympic Football- FIFA backs down over age limits

[Kareem]

FIFA backs down over age limits
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/global/fifa-backs-down-over-age-limits-190983/

FIFA have been forced into a climbdown over changing the age limit for the men's Olympic tournaments but look set to scrap over-age players.


Football's world governing body withdrew a proposal to restrict players in the London 2012 Games and beyond to under-21s after warnings the sport could be kicked out of the Olympics.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter suggested a likely scenario will be to keep the existing under-23 limit but with no over-age players. Three over-age players are allowed under current rules.

Blatter insisted that football's status as an Olympic sport was not at risk but said the size of the tournaments could be threatened.

Blatter told a news conference in Nassau: "There have been declarations by some members of the IOC executive board that if we are going to lower the age limit again that we will be kicked out of Olympics.

"I spoke with [IOC president] Rogge and he said that will not be the case but we could suffer with another principle - we have 28 teams involved, 16 men's and 12 women's and we could lose that privilege."

A task force will now be set up to look at the issue and Blatter confirmed the scenario of only scrapping the three over-age players was a strong possibility.

He added: "Only fools never change their minds. It's a possibility we remain as 23 and stop the three over-age players - we don't play the under-17 tournament with three over-age players, that would be cheating."

Blatter said another approach was that used in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics when there was no age limit but no player could have appeared in a previous World Cup.

FIFA's executive committee had voted in favour of the under-21 limit after last summer's Beijing Olympics when Werder Bremen and Barcelona successfully challenged their obligation to release Diego and Lionel Messi for the Games.

Meanwhile, the Congress also voted in favour of a declaration to keep working towards Blatter's '6+5 plan' for limits on foreign players and ban the international transfer of players under 18.

Blatter added: "6+5 will come - it's just a question of time.

"We have to do it within the existing law and it's not incompatible with the law but we don't want to fight. I will not go against the law but the law can be amended."

I liked the sound of the no age limit- with no players that have previously appeared in world cups! It sounds a bit similar to olympic boxing (only amatures?)

u23 strictly could work
u21...that would be pointless