Anger at Bayern over EC 'bunch of failures'

The Bayern Munich president, Franz Beckenbauer, yesterday criticised the European Commission's plans to overhaul the transfer system, saying they would cause players' wages to spiral out of control.

The Bayern Munich president, Franz Beckenbauer, yesterday criticised the European Commission's plans to overhaul the transfer system, saying they would cause players' wages to spiral out of control.

His comments came on the day that Fifa, the game's world governing body, sent details of its proposals to reform the transfer system to the EC.

"You've got a bunch of failures sitting in Brussels. All failed existences, shoved off to Brussels by their governments. It is Europe's biggest gang of dead losers," the former Germany coach said.

The EU Competition Commissioner, Mario Monti, has threatened to outlaw transfer fees by the end of the year unless football authorities tabled proposals to bring the rules into line with European law. Beckenbauer said abolishing transfer fees would see players move to the highest bidder, with wages far beyond today's levels.

The Bayern Munich general manager, Uli Hoeness, went even further, saying the EU Commission's plans would mean "the death of football".

"There is no need to change anything. A contract for two or three years is manageable. If a player wants to go then the clubs have to agree. If not, he has to stay. That's the best solution," Hoeness said.

In a bid to find a compromise Fifa has sent a letter to Monti outlining its proposals for the overhaul of the transfer system. The radical plan includes a proposal that would allow the free movement of players over the age of 24. "In the letter, it was pointed out that the football authorities would be ready to take up the points with the European Commission at a suitable date," said a Fifa spokesman, Andreas Herren. "We have to wait for a response from Monti and his experts."

Yesterday it emerged that the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, Gordon Taylor, has been appointed to a new six-man committee, the Transfer Task Force, which has been detailed to lead talks with the EC about altering the current system. The new body will be made up of Taylor, the chairman Per Ormdal (Uefa's vice-president and Fifa executive member), Gerhard Aigner (Uefa's chief executive), Michel Zen-Ruffinen (Fifa's general secretary), Pero Tomas (Spanish League general secretary) and Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder (German FA vice-president).

In order to prevent players from moving to one club from another at will - with no compensation paid to the last club - a minimum one-year stay with a team has been suggested by Fifa. Players could change clubs at the end of that period, but only within an established worldwide annual transfer window.

But Uefa, Europe's governing body, and Fifa are still on a collision course over the correct approach. Europe's football hierarchy remains convinced that it can persuade the EC to accept a reformed transfer system which does more than just demand clubs make a payment equivalent to the salary remaining on a contract when they buy a player.

"There needs to be change but it should be sensible reforms based on safeguarding the future of our game and proper consultation with football in Europe," said Uefa's director of communications, Mike Lee.