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Russian Sports Ministry proposes to decrease ‘legionnaires’ quota

Under current regulations, Russian Premier League clubs are allowed to roster 13 foreign players and field eight legionnaires on the pitch during matches

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. The Russian Sports Ministry has published a new draft rule on a number of foreign footballers allowed to be rostered with the country’s top football league clubs, which represent the Russian Premier League (RPL).

According to the new rule, the number of foreign players in Russian professional football clubs, who are referred to as legionnaires, would be altered beginning next season.

If enacted, starting with the 2026/2027 RPL season, only 12 legionnaires can appear on a club’s roster, with no more than seven of them on the field at any one time during match play.

Under current regulations, RPL clubs are allowed to roster 13 foreign players 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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