"The decision to abolish the foreign player limit in the Premier League from next season, made at the last meeting of the AFFA Executive Committee, is a move aimed at the development and future of Azerbaijani football," stated FIFA agent Said Bagirov in an interview with AZERTAC.
Idman.biz reports that he noted that the decision was not universally welcomed after it was announced: "The abolition of the foreign player limit is a path that many countries have taken, and it wasn't an easy transition for them either. Naturally, discussions continue in our country as well. The main question among the public and current players is: what will happen to the careers of local players, and where will they play? This issue also has a psychological aspect. There is a concern that local players might lose their positions to foreign players. However, players who believe in their football skills should not view this as a problem, but rather as an opportunity for competition. The decision likely aims to increase the 'competitive spirit' and encourage local players to work harder on their skills."
Bagirov highlighted that the technical aspects of the decision are even more intriguing: "For example, increasing the number of clubs in the Premier League from 10 to 12 will increase the interest in the national championship and provide opportunities for players to compete in higher league clubs. This will, in turn, create a need to increase the number of clubs in the I and II leagues as well. The abolition of the foreign player limit should also have a positive impact on salaries in the lower leagues. As the viewership of the championship increases, so will the revenue, which will directly impact player salaries in the near future."
While Bagirov acknowledged that the abolition of the foreign player limit was theoretically decided, he emphasized that its practical implementation might not be easy: "This does not mean that all clubs will start signing only foreign players. New fees for each foreign player have been introduced to prevent this. Previously, the fee for a foreign player was 5,000 AZN. After the 12th player, an additional 50,000 AZN was charged for each player. If the player was a national team member, they were exempt from the fee. Now, even if a player plays for their national team, the club will still have to pay the fee. In addition, the fees are now structured based on the number of foreign players. For example, for 1 to 7 foreign players, the fee is 5,000 AZN; for 8 to 12 players, it’s 10,000 AZN; for 13 to 15 players, it’s 100,000 AZN; and for 16 or more players, it’s 200,000 AZN. Based on these fees, if the AFFA allows 11 foreign players, the club would need to pay 110,000 AZN in fees. Clubs are allowed to have up to 17 foreign players in their squad, but the total fee for such transfers would be 3.4 million AZN, which no club in Azerbaijan is currently capable of paying."
He also pointed out that this decision will push local players to work harder and fight for their positions: "Local players will no longer think that they are guaranteed a spot in the team due to the foreign player limit. They will have to work harder and compete for their place, which will, in turn, contribute to the development of the national team. Recently, the results have not been very promising, but as we have seen in many countries, including our brother country Turkey, abolishing the foreign player limit has led to local players improving their skills. Local players work harder to earn their place in the team. We also anticipate that our clubs will now be interested in selling or loaning local players to foreign clubs. In other words, they will take an active role in promoting the performance of their own players."
Idman.biz
