NYON, Switzerland — European soccer leaders have unanimously backed a proposal to limit participation in future Olympic Games to players under the age of 21.
The International Olympic Committee wants to keep the status quo of under-23s plus three overage players, which allows countries to bolster their teams with star talent and enhances the appeal and credibility of the Olympic tournament.
But UEFA’s strategy council of clubs, national associations, leagues and players’ unions unanimously agreed Thursday that the men’s Olympic tournament should be changed to under 21.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has previously suggested dropping the age limit, or even abolishing the limit altogether but barring players with World Cup experience. Europe’s top clubs don’t want to lose players for preseason training and Champions League qualifying matches.
FIFA and the IOC have been struggling to reach an agreement on player eligibility since current rules nearly prevented Barcelona star Lionel Messi from leading Argentina to the gold medal in Beijing last year. In that instance, it was a “club versus country” dispute.
UEFA has eight delegates on FIFA’s 24-member ruling executive, which will discuss the issue in South Africa next week. FIFA will then send a report to the IOC’s executive board, which meets Dec. 9-11.
