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Over 60% of Russian football fans favor reducing 'legionnaires’ quota' — survey

Under current regulations, RPL clubs are allowed to register 13 foreign players on their rosters and field eight legionnaires on the pitch during matches

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Over 60% of Russian football fans support stricter limits on the number of foreign players allowed in Russian Premier League (RPL) matches, the Russian Sports Ministry announced on Tuesday, citing results from its survey.

According to the survey, 62% of polled fans favored decreasing the number of foreign players, often referred to as legionnaires, in RPL clubs, while 33% opposed the change. Some 1,900 people participated in the survey.

The Russian Sports Ministry proposes to reduce the foreign players’ limit by 2028, under the formula of "10 foreign players on the roster and five on the pitch."

Under current regulations, RPL clubs are allowed to register 13 foreign players on their rosters and field eight legionnaires on the pitch during matches.

Russia’s football ban

The world’s governing football body, FIFA, announced on February 28, 2022, that the Russian national team and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from participating in FIFA tournaments.

In turn, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) made a similar decision regarding the Russian national football team’s participation in UEFA tournaments.

Both FIFA and UEFA cited Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine as grounds for their respective bans on Russian teams’ participation in competitions.

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