By Simon Baskett
MADRID, Jan 13 - After a dreadful start to the
season, Athletic Bilbao are in serious danger of being relegated
for the first time since the Spanish League began in 1928.
Bilbao, famously, only recruit players from the Basque
country and some observers are now saying the policy is to blame
for their present predicament.
They argue that a club that relies exclusively on players
from a small region in the northern part of Spain can no longer
compete with clubs that trawl the globe for talent.
In an era of relentless globalisation, reliance on such a
limited pool of players is seen as a suicidal anachronism.
Others claim Athletic's reputation as one of the biggest clubs
in Spain rests on past successes achieved when the restrictions
on foreign players prevented free competition.
In an age when winning counts for so much it might be
thought that Athletic would bow to the pressure and ditch
tradition in exchange for bringing some much-needed success to
the club.
Nothing could be further from the truth, however.
Close to 80 percent of fans say they would prefer the
ignominy of relegation to the dropping of the club's recruitment
policy.
For Bilbao supporters the importance of maintaining their
links with the local region clearly outweighs their desire for
silverware.
Commentators point out that Athletic are an exception only
because of the very special circumstances that prevail in the
Basque region.
The club's historic status as a symbol of Basque
nationalism, the institutional support it enjoys and its stable
fan base mean that it can afford the luxury of following a
policy that would be unthinkable for many other teams.
BOSMAN RULE
Despite its present difficulties though, Bilbao's policy has
struck a chord with other clubs, fans and even the game's top
administrators.
Part of the reason is because of the impact the Bosman
Ruling has had in the past decade.
The ground-breaking judgement exposed soccer to
unrestrained free trade in players with almost every club taking
the opportunity to fill their squads with talented, and on some
occasions, not so talented, foreign players.
The ruling was meant to end the restrictions on the free
movement of players within the European Union, but it also
opened the door to players from all over the world as many found
ways of gaining European citizenship.
While the move has undoubtedly broadened the horizons of
clubs and fans, it continues to have negative effects.
Fans frequently complain that many players are simply
mercenaries who lack any loyalty to their club's colours and are
only concerned about selling their skills to the highest bidder.
Many clubs have got their fingers burned trying to keep pace
with the inflationary spiral of the transfer market.
The game has become increasingly dominated by rich and
powerful oligarchies with the resources to recruit the top
players and exploit lucrative marketing opportunities, leaving
the rest to scrap for survival.
However, there is an increasing recognition that soccer must
rein in the worst excesses of the free market and rekindle some
of the passion that helped make it the world's most popular
sport.
HOME-GROWN
FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes one solution is for
clubs to field at least six home-grown players, while UEFA are
moving in the same direction.
From next season, clubs in European competition will have to
include at least two players they have trained themselves and
two more developed in the same national association.
Many clubs are also coming to recognise that nurturing local
talent may be their only route to survival.
Not only is it cheaper to develop your own players, but the
rise of home-grown talent also increases fan loyalty, commitment
and boosts team morale.
Real Madrid's Raul, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, Roma's
Francesco Totti and Barcelona's Carles Puyol all enjoy a special
status amongst supporters because they came through the youth
ranks, while their presence allows young fans to cling to the
dream that they too may make it one day.
Even the mighty Real Madrid recognise that an over-reliance
on foreign Galacticos has had a detrimental effect on team
morale.
Real's new director of football Benito Floro said recently
that the club has lost its identity and needed an injection of
players from the cantera (youth sides) to help foster better
team spirit.
It is, of course, unlikely that any future winners of the
Champions League will be able to emulate Celtic's achievement of
nearly 40 years ago when they won the European Cup with a squad
comprised entirely of players born within 30 miles of Glasgow.
But a re-emergence of local identity can only be good for a
sport that still claims to be the people's game.
And if Bilbao do survive the drop, many fans, with no
particular allegiance either the Basque country or the club
itself, will, though, probably be very pleased on their behalf.