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Only 'exceptional skills' need apply Posted: Thursday February 27, 2003 4:58 PM
Gabriele Marcotti covers international soccer for CNNSI.com. He will answer questions from users in his mailbag periodically.
Hi Gabriele. Will you please explain to me how the issue of work permits operates? For example, Middlesbrough signed Juninho but only after he was initially turned down a work permit even though he was in Brazil's World Cup squad. On the other hand, Fulham sign Facundo Sava, who to my knowledge has no international caps. There are others like Sava: Emerson Thome, Julio Arca, Juliano Rodrigo, etc. So what do you have to do to get a work permit?
The work permit you refer to -- for those who don't know -- is essentially a visa granted by the Department of Immigration (or its equivalent), which allows a company to hire a foreign worker. In that sense, it has nothing do with soccer, and it's handled by a government agency, not the football association. In most countries the granting of work permits is pretty much automatic -- as long as the employer (i.e. the club) can show it is committed to paying the employee (i.e. the player) over the life of his contract, it is a mere formality. England and Scotland, however, are different. A foreigner wishing to play in those countries must prove he has "exceptional skills." The basic guideline (though there are exceptions) is that the player must have appeared in 75 percent of his national team's games over the previous 18 months. If those criteria are fulfilled, it's pretty much a done deal. Of course, this system is a little goofy: getting caps for Brazil is obviously going to be much tougher than, say, Venezuela or Thailand.
There are exceptions, and you can appeal to a committee that takes special circumstances into accounts, such as age, injuries, past achievements, etc. Of course, as far as England and Scotland are concerned, the work permit issue only applies to those who do not have EU passports. I'm pretty sure the players you cite above all have an additional passport from a European country, which is why they did not need work permits. As for Juninho, I doubt he has the requisite caps, but his high profile and two previous spells at the club pretty much ensure that he falls into the "exceptional skills" category.
Gabriele, have you ever seen a period of time where more big name clubs are sinking? I cite Bayer Leverkusen, Barca, Roma and Leeds for some examples. Speaking of clubs in freefall, what the hell happened to Napoli? They look condemned to Serie C. Your thoughts?
With very few exceptions, this is a cyclical game. Don't forget that even huge clubs like Manchester United and Milan have suffered relegation in the past 30 years. Of the teams you mention, Leeds was in the lower divisions as recently as 15 years ago, as was Bayer Leverkusen. Roma is struggling, but it did finish second last year, so it's probably a temporary blip. Barcelona has serious problems, but, again, this is a team that finished in the top four of La Liga last year and was in the semifinals of the Champions League. Of the clubs you mention, it's the only not to have been relegated. As for Napoli, well, years of serious mismanagement have taken their toll. Despite its huge fan base, the club has always had financial difficulties and serious ups-and-downs. Even in the Golden Era of Maradona, when it won two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup, it managed to lose money. It needs a serious, wealthy investor to bounce back, but I think investors are scared to take a chance given the club's past.
I think that the international game needs to be livened up a bit more. I mean that instead of playing international friendlies, would it be more entertaining to see international games represent their national leagues. England, Spain and Italy will therefore be able to pick foreign players to play: for England -- Thierry Henry; for Spain -- Ronaldo; and for Italy -- Shevchenko. This would then stop the debate on which league is the best by seeing who wins the tournament between each league.
It would be neat idea, and we could have a lot of fun drawing up possible lineups for the various leagues, but I don't think these all-star type games would really mean very much. The players would not treat them seriously, their clubs would not want them to get injured and, in the current calendar, they wouldn't have enough time to train together.
Hi, what do you make up of Sociedad's chances in winning the Liga this year?
They found a great rhythm with players like Kovacevic and Nihat, but do you think their lack of depth (or quality) will finally come to haunt them?
I think it will be tough for Real Sociedad to win La Liga this season, unless, of course, Valencia and/or Real Madrid suffer a meltdown and Denoueix's men win it almost by default. Pound-for-pound, Real Sociedad can't match the depth of its competitors. When someone goes down (like Xavi Alonso last month) the team struggles. Karpin has been fantastic, but age may well catch up with him, and the back four has looked vulnerable at times. This is a very hard-working group; I just wonder if they can maintain the physical intensity through to the end of March.
Gabriele, to my understanding Serie A is regarded as the best football league and has the best players in the world. But why is it that when it comes to European club competitions, teams from Serie A always have difficulties in dominating?
Serie A was probably the best league in the world for much of the 1990s, but in recent years many would suggest that Spain's Liga has surpassed it. Personally, I think there is more depth of talent in Serie A, but the poor performances in European competition suggest that Italian clubs have not played well. I think you've got to ask questions about how Serie A clubs have been coached and, in my opinion, that has been their biggest shortcoming.
Gabriele, my question is, what is the "thing" that South Americans need to get adapted to European soccer? Stars like Saviola and Aimar shine but only after some time. (Riquelme seems to be, still, in the adaptation stage). Others, like Ortega, couldn't adapt.
Well, the four players you mention all fall into a particular mold -- they are No. 10s, which is generally the toughest position in which to adapt because the team revolves around you. I think the early struggles had to do with getting used to the greater pace of the game in Europe compared to Argentina and the different tactical requirements. Few teams play with a traditional player in the hole behind the strikers and, often, it's a difficult position to learn (especially since European coaches often place stringent tactical requirements on the role). It's no coincidence that both Saviola and Aimar were converted into second strikers, playing alongside a genuine centerforward (Kluivert and Carew respectively). Ortega had some issues off the pitch and was hampered by his lack of pace. Riquelme is very talented, but he'll need individualized attention and a lot of patience if he is to succeed. I can't see him doing well unless Barcelona builds the team around him, and that won't happen unless he improves, so he's caught in a chicken-and-egg dilemma.
What is your opinion about Adrian Mutu from Parma and where do you think he will end up? What about Cosmin Contra of Atletico Madrid?
I think Mutu has it all: pace, intelligence, dribbling ability and a great eye for goal. Last summer it looked like he might go to Juventus before ending up at Parma -- much will depend on the asking price. He's still young and will only get better. Contra struggled at Milan because, in my opinion, he is more of a wingback (like Cafu) than a right back. I think the fewer defensive duties he has, the better he performs.
Gab, there's no way in the world that anybody can convince me that Raul isn't the best striker in the game. Case points to his goal in Real Madrid's latest Champions League game. He has been converting half chances or no chances at all into goals and he has been doing that for Real for years now. He may not have the blistering pace of Thierry Henry or the brute force of Christian Vieri, but he is an assassin in front of goal, striking when least expected. He does all this while not being an out and out striker.
Raul is special, and the amazing thing is that he is only 25 yet has already broken so many records. He doesn't get the recognition he deserves outside Spain and that's unfortunate. I can't figure out why he's so underrated -- he hasn't performed miracles with the Spanish national team but then neither had Michael Owen with England, and he still won the European Footballer of the Year award. I can only guess that sharing the limelight with the other Real stars somehow tarnishes his image. I think he is at least equal to Henry and Vieri as a player, though, of the three, only Vieri is a traditional centerforward.
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