La Liga refers to the Spanish First Division League. The first professional soccer league in Spain is officially called the Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons. It is one of the most professional and exciting leagues in Europe, attracting some of the best football talent from around the world.
Like any other league, La Liga is also governed by some strict rules and regulations regarding promotion and relegation of clubs, as well as how many non-EU players can play in the league. Let’s take a quick look at the League Rules.
Promotion-relegation rules
Every year, 20 teams participate in the competition. The three teams that finish at the bottom of the league table are relegated to the 2nd division of the Spanish league system, with the top two finishers in the division immediately below and the winner in a tiebreaker replacing the relegated clubs.
Inclusion of non-community players
There is a maximum limit when it comes to the retention of players from outside the EU in this first division of the Spanish league. In La Liga, each team can retain a maximum of three offshore players. Even in the second division, each participating club can have only 2 players. If any La Liga club is relegated to the lower division, they are allowed to retain the same number of foreign players until their contracts expire.
What does “outside the EU” mean? The sentence has been repeated many times after several verdicts of the Court of Justice of the European Communities. According to a decision adopted by the Spanish Federation in this regard, the participating La Liga teams have the right to make the best use of the rules and bring many foreign players to their squad.
Citizenship claim
Foreign players can apply for Spanish citizenship from the countries from which their ancestors descend. In La Liga, a player from outside the EU can claim Spanish citizenship if they have played in Spain for at least five years and it can result in triple citizenship. Let us give you an example. Leo Franco was born in Argentina and has Italian ancestry. He is able to apply for Spanish citizenship, having played in the country for more than five years.
Players arriving from ACP countries, including Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, are not considered against the non-EU category according to the Kolpak ruling.
Breach of rules and conduct
All La Liga clubs are obliged to comply with the rules and regulations clearly specified by the highest authority in the Spanish soccer league system which, in turn, guarantees compatibility with the guidelines drawn up by FIFA, the governing body. of soccer in the world. In recent times, FIFA has sanctioned Barcelona for not complying with the rules regarding the transfer of players following an accusation of transfer of underage players (under 18 years).
The defending La Liga champions cannot play any new players until January 2016. The club requested the ban, but it was not lifted. However, they have been allowed to sell players during the transfer ban time.