Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, says supporters are behind his plans to introduce a quota on the number of foreign players in the Premier League.

Blatter appears determined to implement the new plans by 2011, with each club being forced to field six homegrown players. And while the Fifa president acknowledges the success of the Premier League, he believes the monopoly of the 'big four' is conducive to the development of the game in England and the success of the national team.

The 71-year-old is in the second year of his third term as president and, although he has not ruled out a fourth bid for office, he believes his legacy hinges on enacting a quota system, in which six places in the starting line-ups for domestic league matches are reserved for players eligible to play for the national team.

"Club football at the beginning had a local identity, later a regional and now some of the leagues - I am speaking here about the big clubs of the Premier League - there is no more national identity," Blatter said.

"And I think if you ask the fans they will want to see the national team players playing in the top clubs of the league in the country concerned. I am sure everybody is in favour of a strong national team and therefore we should approach and impose such a solution which is why I am going to the congress to propose a six-plus-five rule to be implemented in the future to be decided after 2010/11.

"Meaning that the starting 11 shall have six players eligible to play for the national team of the country that the club is playing in. You have all four participants in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and I think this is not the direct solution," he continued. Please ask the fans - in England especially - if they like the national team and they are happy their national team have not qualified for this year's European Championships.

"This is a problem that is worth being discussed and if there is a general consensus in the congress, then we will implement that for the good of the game. Because the game is open to everybody, not only something for the rich clubs and therefore I am sure the idea will balance out a competition. If you go to the Premier League - which is a wonderful competition - something is wrong if only four or five teams are fighting for the title and all the others are happy not to be relegated because something is wrong in the essence of football."

The main problem Blatter has faced in his attempts to force the plans through, is that they are thought to contravene EU laws guaranteeing the mobility of labour. However Blatter feels it is something that can be overcome. "The law is the one thing but it can be adapted, amended, if there is a general consensus," he added.

"I feel in Europe and especially in countries that are members of the European Union, that they are in favour of such a rule because they are also in favour of a very strong national team. And therefore the idea is not to go into a struggle against existing laws, like the European Union law. The European Union is only part of the world and they are not lawmakers for the entire world."