FIFA president Sepp Blatter has sparked controversy by claiming that the dominance of English clubs in the Champions League shows the need for quotas to limit the number of foreign players in domestic leagues.

For the last two seasons there have been three English clubs in the last four of Europe's elite club competition and Blatter fears a monopolisation of football.

Blatter told a conference call today: "Shall we let the rich become richer and say nothing?

"The big money is coming out of the Champions League - it's the biggest league in the world and practically 80 per cent of the income goes to the directly to the 32 participating clubs.

"The Champions League has been very successful financially but it has also favoured national inequality. That's why, being in charge of football, I have to bring this item to the attention of the Congress."

However, UEFA insist their flagship competition merely reflects cycles of dominance between different countries.

UEFA communications director William Gaillard said European football's governing body has yet to take a position on Blatter's proposal.

He told Sky Sports: "He's entitled to his opinion. We've had this situation before. We had three Spanish clubs in the semi-finals, with two in the final. We had an all-Italian final in Manchester at Old Trafford in 2003.

"These things are bound to happen. It's football."

Blatter, who believes the richest clubs will buy up the best players from all over the world and ignore domestic talent, is to seek a mandate from the FIFA Congress later this month to begin talks with the European Union and football's authorities over implementing a "six-plus-five" rule where a maximum of five players in a starting eleven can be foreign.

The FIFA president said he would aim to have a minimum of four domestic players by 2010, five by 2011 and up to six in 2012.

Blatter claimed his plan would not contravene EU labour law because it did not limit the number of foreign players a club could take on - just the number that start a match. The EU and UEFA disagree.

FIFA will also look to extend the residency period to five years before a player can represent another country - in some countries the period is currently as short as two years.

Blatter has become alarmed by the number of players - especially from Brazil - taking on foreign citizenship and then appearing for their adoptive countries, such as Arsenal striker Eduardo, who plays for Croatia.