Expanding Foreign Quota Publicly Debunked - Abolishing GK Restrictions...We need to keep pace with the world, but we need to control the speed

Expanding Foreign Quota Publicly Debunked - Abolishing GK Restrictions...We need to keep pace with the world, but we need to control the speed

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It is in line with the global trend, but not in a hurry.

The number of foreign players in the K-League is increasing. Starting next year, K-League 1 teams can register up to six foreign players regardless of nationality, and four of them can play at the same time. In K-League 2, each team can have five players and four players can play together.
In the meantime, K League 1 had to include one Asian player among six foreign players, while K League 2 had to include Southeast Asian players and one Asian player excluding him. As the Asian quarter disappears from next year, it will become easier to form foreign players.

Expansion of foreign players is a natural trend. The AFC Champions League has completely lifted restrictions on foreign players from 2024 to 2025. It is natural for the K-League to accept more foreign players as communication barriers have been broken down and player exchanges are brisk.

However, radical opening-up could cause anger. At a public hearing on the K-League's foreign player system held at Asan Institute for Policy Studies in central Seoul on Tuesday, the main argument was "gradual change." K-League officials, members of the Technical Research Group, and journalists who attended the public hearing agreed on the overall direction of the current foreign quota expansion plan, but pointed out some concerns.

Before pursuing the expansion of foreign players, various expected problems must be considered first. The K-League's foreign quota is the minimum tool to guarantee domestic players' right to play and induce their growth. In addition, if clubs go too far in recruiting foreign players, there could be a problem with their financial soundness due to large expenditures.

The abolition of restrictions on foreign goalkeepers is also publicizing, but this also requires "speed control." "In the past, there were limitations in fostering 안전놀이터 Korean goalkeepers due to lack of professional teams, but now there are more than 25 professional teams," said Shin Eui-son (Russian name Valery Sarichev), the goalkeeper coach of Cheonan City's U-18 team, who participated in the public hearing. As goalkeepers are in a special position, however, changing the policy should be more cautious.