European clubs want FIFA decision on Olympic U-21s

European clubs on Tuesday urged FIFA to accept that only players aged under 21 years can take part in the Olympic Games football tournament instead of 23 years as presently allowed.

After a meeting of the European Club Association (ECA), top executives accused world football’s governing body of wavering and changing its mind on the issue.

“All 100 ECA member clubs present in Geneva support the under 21 with no over age players solution,” Barcelona president and ECA vice-chairman Juan Laporta said.

“It’s important to have a clear-cut rule,” he told journalists.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has indicated that it wants FIFA to stick to the 23-year-old age limit.

That is at odds with the general under-21 format applied by FIFA for young internationals, although three over-age players are allowed per team.

However, ECA executives ruled out any exceptions.

With a blanket age limit for all under-21 tournaments, clubs would be able to plan ahead with the international calendar, rather than face the unpredictable selection of an over-age player for national U21 sides, they said.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was at the centre of a high-profile dispute ahead of the Olympic Games in August 2008 when the Spanish club refused to release him to play for Argentina in Beijing, even though he was 21.

The International Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) ruled in Barcelona’s favour and set a precedent, by deciding that clubs were not obliged to release their players for the Olympics unlike other internationals.

Laporta underlined that Barcelona ultimately released Messi as a sporting gesture. The Argentine superstar conjured up the winning goal that allowed Argentina to clinch their second Olympic title in a row.