Someone posted that Europe had strict Foreign (non-EU) player restrictions, that is the reason many American players are at a disadvantage when trying out for teams in the Big Leagues. The coment was that in most big leagues the restriction is that a player must have played 75% of his national team rules, or be a EU player. That rule sounded very strange to me, the reason is that I do not follow the EPL. That rule is only right for England. So I asked around this is what I have, please help me update the list of restrictions. OK I know FIFA wants a 5 Foreign player limit for all leagues. But this is not the rule yet. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article4031314.ece England; EPL has the limit that some people posting in MLS forum understand and think it applies everywhere. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...city-richard-scudamore-brazil-striker-robinho Italy; Serie A it looks like 3 (many were grandfathered in before 2008) but teams can trade like MLS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A#Non-EU_players France; ?????????? Germany; Ok I asked in the Germany Forum; It looks like there are no foreigner restrictions, they have age and youth system restrictions, but a team in Germany could field a team full of Americans/Canadians. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1501465 Portugal? Netherlands? Denmark? Sweden? Turkey? Russia? Other Europe? Other "top" leagues Brazil? Mexico; has a 5 player restriction (1st level) 3 players (2nd level) Argentina? Now you may ask why is this related to MLS, well I just want to break the myth that because North Americans are not EU members our players can not make it in Europe in large numbers. (Maybe this will be moved to USA Forum). So please help me update the rules if you want.
How hard is for MLS players to move to Europe Maybe a better Title How hard is for MLS players to move to Europe.
Re: How hard is for MLS players to move to Europe In the Polish Ekstraklasa, of the 28 made squad that you have to register, you can have a max of 17 non-Polish players. U21 players do not need to be registered in the squad. 3 players trained by the club have to be registered. 7 players have to be trained in Poland. I know it's weird, but hopefully that makes sense.
Just remember that if these restrictions did not exist, the foreigner spots would be taken up by cheap South American players, not Americans.
Yup. Brazilians, Argentines, etc. There are loose foreign player restrictions in nations like Norway and Belgium............and we haven't seen an avalanche of Americans going to those nations.
OK I know FIFA wants a 5 Foreign player limit for all leagues. But this is not the rule yet. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article4031314.ece England; A player must have played 75% of his national team rules, or be a EU player. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...city-richard-scudamore-brazil-striker-robinho Italy; Serie A it looks like 3 (many were grandfathered in before 2008) but teams can trade like MLS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A#Non-EU_players France; ?????????? Germany; Ok I asked in the Germany Forum; It looks like there are no foreigner restrictions, they have age and youth system restrictions, but a team in Germany could field a team full of Americans/Canadians. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1501465 Portugal? Netherlands? Denmark? Sweden? Turkey? Russia? Poland; by CCSUltra In the Polish Ekstraklasa, of the 28 made squad that you have to register, you can have a max of 17 non-Polish players. U21 players do not need to be registered in the squad. 3 players trained by the club have to be registered. 7 players have to be trained in Poland. I know it's weird, but hopefully that makes sense. Other Europe? Other "top" leagues Brazil? Mexico; has a 5 player restriction (1st level) 3 players (2nd level) Argentina? Now you may ask why is this related to MLS, well I just want to break the myth that because North Americans are not EU members our players can not make it in Europe in large numbers. (Maybe this will be moved to USA Forum). So please help me update the rules if you want.
Foreign players do not need to have 75% of NT caps to play in England. If they do then they are almost guaranteed to be granted a work permit. If not, they have a hearing to determine if they are worthy or not.
Austria has an interesting way of making sure its league isn't flooded with foreigners (although I know that's not the point of the thread). I'm not sure if there are officially any restrictions on foreigners, but the league set up a fund to promote Austrian talent. There can't be any more than 6 foreigners on the game-day roster (including E.U. foreigners), otherwise the club doesn't get any money for that game. At the end of the season, the club at which Austrian players had the most playing minutes gets the most money out of the fund, while the club with the least Austrian playing minutes gets the least amount of money. The only club that forfeits money out of the fund is Salzburg, as they have a sugar daddy. No other Bundlesliga club has more than 6 foreigners overall, and many of them have less. The result has been a flood of young Austrian players getting minutes in their own league. And thus Austria cleverly gets around the Bosman rule to advance its own players. I thought it was an interesting system to point out, although it is only tangentially related to American players. I guess maybe quality Americans could have an easier time playing in Austria than players from other prominent soccer countries, as they'd likely be cheaper than their counterparts from England, Italy, etc. Not that the Austrian league would be a step up from MLS, but still.
OK I know FIFA wants a 5 Foreign player limit for all leagues. But this is not the rule yet. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article4031314.ece England; A player must have played 75% of his national team rules, or be a EU player. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...city-richard-scudamore-brazil-striker-robinho Italy; Serie A it looks like 3 (many were grandfathered in before 2008) but teams can trade like MLS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serie_A#Non-EU_players France; I have been told 4 non-EU for both 1st and 2nd level; I was not provided a link, so this could be wrong. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1533274 Germany; Ok I asked in the Germany Forum; It looks like there are no foreigner restrictions, they have age and youth system restrictions, but a team in Germany could field a team full of Americans/Canadians. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1501465 Portugal? Netherlands? Denmark? Sweden? Turkey? Russia? Austria; by Mattbro I'm not sure if there are officially any restrictions on foreigners, but the league set up a fund to promote Austrian talent. There can't be any more than 6 foreigners on the game-day roster (including E.U. foreigners), otherwise the club doesn't get any money for that game. At the end of the season, the club at which Austrian players had the most playing minutes gets the most money out of the fund, while the club with the least Austrian playing minutes gets the least amount of money. Poland; by CCSUltra In the Polish Ekstraklasa, of the 28 made squad that you have to register, you can have a max of 17 non-Polish players. U21 players do not need to be registered in the squad. 3 players trained by the club have to be registered. 7 players have to be trained in Poland. I know it's weird, but hopefully that makes sense. Other Europe? Other "top" leagues Brazil? Mexico; has a 5 player restriction (1st level) 3 players (2nd level) Argentina? Now you may ask why is this related to MLS, well I just want to break the myth that because North Americans are not EU members our players can not make it in Europe in large numbers. (Maybe this will be moved to USA Forum). So please help me update the rules if you want.
The UK (inclules all leagues, even SPL) - no numerical restrictions on non-EU players but the player must have participated in the 75% of his national team official (i.e., no-friendly) matches over the course of the previous 24 months to get his work permit (WP) automatically. An appeal can be filed for the various other reasons such as "exceptional talent". Recently, most US players with a reasonable USMNT participation rate have been given WP's (i.e., Brad Guzan, Robbie Findley). Edson Buddle would not have been. Spain - 3 non-EU, with the old Queen Victoria region subjects eligible for the Spanish citizenship in 2 years. The African and the rest of the Cotonou players are counted as local. Italy - 5 non-EU. France - 4 non-EU, French speakers counted as local. Germany - no limit in Bundesliga (3 non-EU in BL II?), clubs must have 11 (?) German players on their unlimited rosters. Turkey - 5 non-EU. Portugal - 5 non-EU, Portuguese speakers (Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdians?) counted as local. Greece - 4 non-EU. The Netherlands - no numerical limit, non-EU player must receive no less than an average Eredivisie wage. Belgium - no limit, about $120K minimum wage is to be paid to non-EU's. Norway - no limit, clubs must have 12 local players on their (unlimited) rosters. Denmark - 3 non-EU, all Cotonou are counted as local. Russia - 9 non-Russians (CIS players are counted as local). Ukraine - 9 non-Ukrainians. Mexico - 5 non-Mexicans (3 years naturalization rule?) but anyone with the Mexican ancestry (Paco Torres, Marco Vidal, Hercules Gomez, Jonny Bornstein) is counted as local. Sweden - 3 non-EU. Rules can change without a prior notice. Consult your local physicians for listings in your area. 1966 results do not guarantee future performances.
In Brazil, the rule is for 3 non brazilians in the starting lineup. I'm not sure about the roster, but I don't think there's a restriction. All I know is that only 3 of them can start a game.
Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Turkey is NOT part of the EU, so a 5 Non-EU limit is contradictory in itself. Btw and FWIW (and not saying it's a top league by any means) Colombia 4 Foreigners in roster but only 3 of them in starting squad. The other one can sit on the bench but can only sub in for another foreigner. Naturalization normally takes no less than 5 years. A selling league, obviously. Can provide more SA Leagues upon request....
Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Argentina would be good, also confirmation about Brazil. Are those old rules or they still in place, I know Inter has a few share of Argentinian players.
Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Just wanted to chime in that this is a useful thread, rep. Also Esteban, any SA leagues you could provide would be great so that we can have a better understanding of things like this.
Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Hey, I would have caught it. At some point. PS. Turkey does want to be part of the EU but it's facing a tough acceptance criteria. I made this list for the YA forum a few years ago but the mods refused to sticky it ... personal animosity and all that. It does come up whenever a new cadre of posters joins, i.e. every half a year. That and the "how much do the YA's make?"
Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions That's because most of them are italian descendent, so they also hold the european passport. Lot's of brazilians too, like Julio Cesar, Kaká, etc..
Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Argentina: ***UPDATE*** 4. All can play at the same time. (FINAL CONFIRMATION, SORRY FOR SO MANY CHANGES) Brazil Confirmed: 3 on the game squad (starters + subs). Unlimited on the Roster. Ecuador 4. All can play at the same time. Chile 7 (!). 5 can play at the same time. The other 2 can sub in for other foreigners. The Following are from a Peruvian Newspaper from Nov 2010 that I just saw: Peru: 6. 3 playing at the same time, at all times. Venezuela: 4. All can play at the same time. Bolivia: Same as Venezuela. Paraguay: Unlimited. Uruguay: 4 on game day squad. Unlimited in roster. And about Colombia I forgot to add that the roster limit is 25 for domestic season-only teams and 30 for Libertadores/Sudamericana teams.
Re: Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Originally Posted by sidefootsitter The UK (inclules all leagues, even SPL) - no numerical restrictions on non-EU players but the player must have participated in the 75% of his national team official (i.e., no-friendly) matches over the course of the previous 24 months to get his work permit (WP) automatically. An appeal can be filed for the various other reasons such as "exceptional talent". Recently, most US players with a reasonable USMNT participation rate have been given WP's (i.e., Brad Guzan, Robbie Findley). Edson Buddle would not have been. Spain - 3 non-EU, with the old Queen Victoria region subjects eligible for the Spanish citizenship in 2 years. The African and the rest of the Cotonou players are counted as local. Italy - 5 non-EU. France - 4 non-EU, French speakers counted as local. Germany - no limit in Bundesliga (3 non-EU in BL II?), clubs must have 11 (?) German players on their unlimited rosters. Turkey - 5 non-EU. Portugal - 5 non-EU, Portuguese speakers (Brazilians, Angolans, Cape Verdians?) counted as local. Greece - 4 non-EU. The Netherlands - no numerical limit, non-EU player must receive no less than an average Eredivisie wage. Belgium - no limit, about $120K minimum wage is to be paid to non-EU's. Norway - no limit, clubs must have 12 local players on their (unlimited) rosters. Denmark - 3 non-EU, all Cotonou are counted as local. Russia - 9 non-Russians (CIS players are counted as local). Ukraine - 9 non-Ukrainians. Sweden - 3 non-EU. Austria; by Mattbro I'm not sure if there are officially any restrictions on foreigners, but the league set up a fund to promote Austrian talent. There can't be any more than 6 foreigners on the game-day roster (including E.U. foreigners), otherwise the club doesn't get any money for that game. At the end of the season, the club at which Austrian players had the most playing minutes gets the most money out of the fund, while the club with the least Austrian playing minutes gets the least amount of money. Poland; by CCSUltra In the Polish Ekstraklasa, of the 28 made squad that you have to register, you can have a max of 17 non-Polish players. U21 players do not need to be registered in the squad. 3 players trained by the club have to be registered. 7 players have to be trained in Poland. Mexico - 5 non-Mexicans (3 years naturalization rule?) but anyone with the Mexican ancestry (Paco Torres, Marco Vidal, Hercules Gomez, Jonny Bornstein) is counted as local. Originally Posted by EstebanLugo Argentina: Confirmed: 4 of them and all can play at the same time Brazil Confirmed: 3 on the game squad (starters + subs). Unlimited on the Roster. Ecuador 4. All can play at the same time. Chile 7 (!). 5 can play at the same time. The other 2 can sub in for other foreigners. The Following are from a Peruvian Newspaper from Nov 2010 that I just saw: Peru: 6. 3 playing at the same time, at all times. Venezuela: 4. All can play at the same time. Bolivia: Same as Venezuela. Paraguay: Unlimited. Uruguay: 4 on game day squad. Unlimited in roster. Colombia 4 Foreigners in roster but only 3 of them in starting squad. The other one can sit on the bench but can only sub in for another foreigner. Naturalization normally takes no less than 5 years. A selling league, obviously. the roster limit is 25 for domestic season-only teams and 30 for Libertadores/Sudamericana teams.
Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Found this on an FM forum about Turkey. It is from July' 10:
Re: Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: Respuesta: Re: European Foreign player restrictions Sweden is no-limit now - and has been for several years apparently - thus the influx of Yanks.
It should be noted that the 'exceptional talent' loophole in the UK rules is nearly always passed through without problems. The last time I remember an EPL team getting a player knocked back for a work permit was in the late 90s/early 2000s. Although it does happen quite often when playing football manager
Bobby Convey was denied the permit in ... 2003 or so, when Spurs wanted him. And he was one of the top players in the U-20 WC but the US was not receiving a lot of respect from the English labor courts then. It's much easier when there's a success on a Euro stage/Europa league/CL.