Latest news with #foreignplayers
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tigres Femenil eye more foreign signings
Tigres Femenil will seek to add more foreign players to their roster, taking advantage of the new rule that allows up to seven foreign players per team. Gerardo Torrado explained that they will reinforce the necessary positions with high-level footballers who really contribute to the project. The board, along with Natalia Gaitán and the technical staff, are already working to identify the ideal profiles to strengthen the team. The priority is not to sign for the sake of signing, but to incorporate players who make a difference both in sports and personally. Currently, the Amazonas only have three foreign players, so they can still add four more. Gaitán, now Sports Manager, pointed out that her focus will be to strengthen the club's processes and accompany the team to keep Tigres as a national and international reference. About Lizbeth Ovalle, they confirmed that she is still focused on the current tournament, although her move abroad seems imminent. She has offers from clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Washington Spirit, and it is expected that she will define her future at the end of the Apertura 2025. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
MFL cuts foreign player quota to six for 2025–2026 M-League season, cites need to develop local talent
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — The Malaysian Football League (MFL) yesterday announced an amendment to the foreign player ruling for the Malaysia League (M-League) 2025–2026 season, reducing the number of foreign players allowed on the pitch to six, from the previously announced seven. The decision was made following the 14th MFL Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting for the 2021–2025 term, taking into consideration the impact on the league and the development of local players. In a statement, MFL said the revised foreign player quota will now be 6+3 (substitutes), with a composition of 4 World + 1 Asia + 1 ASEAN players, compared to the previous 7+2 (substitutes) of 4 World + 1 Asia + 2 ASEAN. 'The decision to reduce one foreign player on the pitch is seen as a step towards balancing local and foreign players in the starting eleven on matchday. 'MFL believes that while foreign players add appeal and competitiveness to the league, developing local talent remains a core agenda to support the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in strengthening the Harimau Malaya squad,' the statement added. MFL said the decision also followed feedback from clubs, many of whom felt that additional ASEAN players had little impact on team performance. However, the total number of foreign players a club can register remains at 15. 'Clubs are not obligated to fill the foreign quota, as it depends on their specific needs and financial capacity. 'This is in line with the monitoring of club spending under the Financial Fair Play (FFP) framework, which will enforce a salary cap mechanism limiting player wages to 80 per cent of each club's budget,' it said. In another development, MFL announced the M-League 2025–2026 calendar, with the season kicking off on Aug 8 with the Charity Shield match between Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Selangor FC at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium — which also doubles as the Super League's opening match. According to MFL, the Super League season is expected to end on May 16, 2026 — a 10-month run compared to the 14-month transitional season previously. 'The FA Cup is scheduled to begin on August 15, 2025, with the final set for December 14, 2025. 'The prestigious Malaysia Cup will kick off on January 17, 2026, with the final slated for May 23, 2026,' it added. Meanwhile, the MFL Challenge Cup will begin on February 6, 2026, with the two-legged final matches scheduled for April 4 and April 18, 2026. 'This season, MFL has released the full-season calendar at once, unlike last season's phased announcement. However, adjustments may still be needed due to the AFC's upcoming draw for the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) and AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2) on August 15, involving JDT and Selangor FC. 'In addition, both clubs will also participate in the ASEAN Club Championship, with the complete match schedule only released yesterday by the AFF, which has delayed MFL's ability to finalise the M-League calendar earlier for clubs and supporters,' it said. — AFP
CNA
04-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Singapore Premier League's move to raise foreign player quota sparks concerns in football fraternity
SINGAPORE: A move to increase the number of foreign players in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) has led to concerns that it will hamper the development of local players. Observers told CNA that it may also benefit richer clubs more than others, potentially widening the gulf between them. 'Just imagine the message that you're sending out to all the local boys who want to play, want to be a professional footballer, for example,' said SPL match commentator A Shasi Kumar, a former pro footballer and head coach. 'Would you let your son or daughter play when, at the end of the day, you only have these number of (local) players? So yeah, that's a problem.' The move was part of a slew of changes to the country's professional football league that were announced on Wednesday (Jul 2) by the Football Association of Singapore. Clubs will be able to field up to seven foreigners per match, up from six. This marks the greatest number of foreign players allowed in the SPL since the league was launched in 1996. The total prize money will also more than double to S$600,000 (US$470,000), while a new reserve league – SPL2 – to develop young players will be introduced. The SPL will also become an eight-team competition after Brunei DPMM FC withdrew from the league in May. The changes, which will take effect in the new season beginning Aug 16, are aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the league. FEWER KEY POSITIONS FOR LOCAL PLAYERS Pundits told CNA that while the move may get local players fighting harder for their spot in the first team and get selected for the national squad, it will also lower their opportunities to get quality game time. Football consultant Richard Harcus said that while SPL's move is meant to make the league better, it means fewer Singaporean homegrown players will have key positions in their teams. 'Historically, when you look at football tactics across any country, when you have (foreign) players that are coming into a team, they tend to play in key positions,' noted the former head of international operations at Balestier Khalsa FC. 'So your star striker tends to be a foreigner; your star central defender tends to be a foreigner; your star midfielder tends to be a foreigner.' Harcus said his concern in the long term would be how it affects the national team. 'Players will have less opportunities to play in teams with more foreigners, and less opportunities to play in those key positions,' added the CEO of Harcus Consultancy Group. 'But time will tell. Maybe it's time for one of the great Singaporean players to step up.' Shasi said that young footballers in Singapore have already been 'falling by the wayside', given the large gap between the under-21 and the senior teams. He stressed that the messaging to players must be right but is now 'iffy', referring to youths coming up in the National Development Centre as well as national project Unleash the Roar. Aimed at raising standards of local football across all levels, the project also hopes to create a structured development system that can fuel the dreams of young players. 'Seven foreign players – I don't think I get that. I rather have it kept at four, maybe, then we go from there, and then you see more local players coming up, because I don't think the message is right at the moment,' Shasi added. Ex-pro footballer and SPL match commentator Rhysh Roshan Rai said it will be good for the league if clubs can bring in good foreign players, but a concern is a lack of game time for local players. 'It's not just about minutes played. What's important is also the quality of minutes played, in that sense,' he pointed out. MONEY TALKS Observers also said the move to include more foreign players will more likely benefit clubs that have greater financial might in signing better players. For example, reigning champions Lion City Sailors are bankrolled by Forrest Li, the billionaire founder of tech giant Sea. He was also elected as FAS' new president in April. Rai said Lion City Sailors and Tampines Rovers are clubs that could benefit from the new ruling in continental competitions. 'But, locally, in the SPL, it's going to be interesting to see how many of the other clubs out there are actually going to be able to afford quality foreign signings that will actually lift the overall standard of the league,' he added. Shasi said he believes privatisation is the only way that other SPL teams can catch up with the Lion City Sailors. 'This is nothing against Lion City Sailors. I think, fair play if they have the money. Go ahead. Go spend it, go win it, because that's how it is supposed to be, because it's a professional league. So be it,' he added. 'But I think other clubs are just playing catch-up.' Given his long-time involvement in the league, Shasi said he hopes to see more players 'push a little further' and break into their club's first team. 'They've only got four places – or three outfield places – to fight for in their own club, so I want to see these players coming up as someone who can play for Singapore,' he added.
CNA
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Higher foreign player quota in pro league may affect local football development: Analysts
A move to raise the number of foreign players in Singapore's professional football league has sparked concerns that it will hamper the development of local players. Observers tell CNA that it may also benefit richer clubs more than others, potentially widening the gulf between them. Nadine Yeam with the details.
Malay Mail
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Malay Mail
South Korea's K-League ends decades-long ban on foreign goalkeepers
SEOUL, June 21 — K-League clubs will be allowed to register foreign players as goalkeepers for the first time in 27 years, starting with the 2026 season, the South Korean top division league said. The league banned its clubs from registering foreign players as keepers in 1999, when it had eight teams, in a bid to ensure domestic keepers get enough playing time. The K-League 1 now has 12 teams, with a second tier introduced in 2013. The decision to end the ban on foreign keepers was taken at a board meeting on Thursday, the league said in a statement yesterday. 'The board said it took into consideration the fact that foreign players were restricted from registering as goalkeepers, a specialised position, resulting in excessive salary increases for domestic players compared to field players,' it added. 'The number of clubs has increased significantly since the time the foreign goalkeeper restriction was introduced, so even if foreign goalkeepers were allowed, domestic goalkeepers would still have enough playing time. 'As a result, from 2026, the K-League will remove the stipulation that the goalkeeper must be a domestic player from the K-League's competition guidelines, which will apply to both the K-League 1 and K-League 2.' — Reuters
