Thugs, immigrants and all the hype

LONDON, England (CNN) -- There are various topics I would like to discuss this week, and I am going to start with the recent shooting of a Lazio fan by a police officer in Italy.

I have attended football matches on Italian soil and I would be the first one to admit that stadium security is far from ideal, but the latest episode has little to do with the sport, and there is nothing the country's soccer authorities alone can do to correct the problem.

The violence occurring between rival supporters outside football grounds is an issue to be resolved by the government and police. It is a social problem, not a football problem.

Recently I put together a piece for CNN on how England cured its hooliganism disease, and everyone I talked to pointed to the collaboration between police, government and clubs as the key to unlocking the door to all solutions available.

First of all, the clubs have to cut ties with the "ultra" support groups. The next step would be to install cameras outside stadiums to identify trouble makers. Finally, banning orders need to be issued to prohibit hooligans from traveling to matches and causing problems on the way there. Unless these steps are taken, there will be no end to the incidents of violence, no matter how safe stadiums become.

Next, to overrated teams -- teams whose value is blown out of proportion by the sensationalistic media.

Let's start with England. Are they good enough to make Euro 2008? Yes. Are they good enough to challenge for the title? No. However, I would bet that as soon as the side qualifies for the championships, people in England will start talking about their chances of lifting the trophy.

The same thing can be said about France. Zidane is gone, Makelele is past his best, their defense is nowhere as solid as it once was, so they are not title contenders. Just ask Scotland, who beat them recently at the Stade de France, and Morocco, who were unlucky to only draw 2-2 in Paris last week. Yet, every time they enter the field, they are expected to dazzle us with the skills and talents they once had.

One final thought on the ongoing debate surrounding the excess of foreign players in European leagues.

Recently, I found out the country most represented in the Champions League is Brazil. There are 98 players from the South American nation registered in the competition. Is there anything wrong with that? Theoretically, no, but practically, yes.

Not only is home grown talent in European clubs finding it harder to shine, but the leagues in South America are being increasingly weakened by their best players moving abroad.

We all know money makes the world go round, but if FIFA and UEFA legally can't limit the number of EU players at teams, maybe they can impose tougher limits on South American, African, Asian and American imports.

In the long run, it would ensure a greater balance of power in different areas of the world. So football fans in the poorer nations would also get a chance to watch the game at its higher level. E-mail to a friend