""I can't see that having (for example) Messi playing in Catalonia and Tevez playing in England seriously damages the way they play for Argentina.""

Your comment is not addressing the point that was made.

Their presence in the English premier league doesn't have any adverse effect on their playing for Argentina, but it does remove two spots for English players, thereby weakening the prospects of putting together a world class England team.

Multiply that by the total number of premieship players who are not English, and you begin to realise just how much the English game is being damaged.

Dozens of potentially brilliant English youngsters will never realise their potential because of this.

Don T.