World Cup 2010: England are ‘paying price of foreign Premier League’

• President says 77.1% of La Liga players are Spanish
• Contrast with 40% English players in Premier League

England‘s dismal failure at the World Cup can be blamed on the Premier League‘s inability to promote home-grown talent, according to the president of Spain’s La Liga. José Luis Astiazarán has questioned the number of young foreign players at Premier League clubs and said the principal reason Spain have reached Sunday’s final against Holland is that “77.1%” of footballers in their domestic league are Spanish-qualified, a direct result of home-grown players being given the opportunity in their clubs’ first teams. In the Premier League fewer than 40% of players are English

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/08/jose-luis-astiazaran-la-liga-england