9 Jul 2010English Premier League 'should adopt Spanish model'

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance | Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media

The president of Spain's La Liga has claimed England's national team is being hampered by the number of foreign players in the English Premier League and suggested his own division as an example to follow.

According to the Guardian, Jose Luis Astiazaran claimed that 77.1 per cent in the Spanish top flight are home-grown and claimed the country's clubs plough more money into youth development than their counterparts in England.

"Why is it not a high number of foreign players in La Liga? Because we invest more and more in young Spanish players," he said. "This is one of the most important differences between Spain and England."

Astiazaran acknowledged that overseas talent can have a role to play in adding experience at the top level of the game, but added that it is important to have native footballers playing alongside stars drafted in from abroad.

Last month, former German internationals Franz Beckenbauer and Oliver Kahn also questioned the recent progress of English youngsters.

Written by Terry Mitchell

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