By Jaroslaw Adamowski
July 20 – Poland’s football federation PZPN has passed draft regulation under which sides competing in the country’s top tier Ekstraklasa will be allowed a maximum of three players from outside of the EU on the pitch at one time. In the 2016/2017 season, this will be further decreased to two players per team.
The regulation will also apply to matches played in the Cup of Poland. The restrictions will cover the I Liga, Poland’s second tier, with squads allowed to include only one non-EU footballer per squad.
“Regarding lower tiers and amateur football … we will allow regional football associations to decide for themselves,” Zbigniew Boniek (pictured), the president of the PZPN, told local daily Przeglad Sportowy.
According to the Ekstraklasa, the latest move is designed to stimulate the development of Polish football.
In a notable exception, footballers who are citizens of countries such as Switzerland and Norway will not be treated as non-EU footballers by the PZPN, because both states are part of the Schengen zone.
One solution for non-EU footballers is to apply for Polish citizenship, following the example of Lech Poznan’s Jasmin Burić, the club’s Bosnian goalkeeper, and Luis Henriquez, the side’s Panamanian defender.
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