The professional soccer K-League will begin a new attempt with a changed system starting from the 2025 season.
The foreign player quota system will be changed and some of the mandatory travel system for K-League 1 players under the age of 22 (U-22) will be relaxed.
The Korea Professional Football League announced on the 5th that it held its 8th board of directors meeting to deliberate and decide on these items.
The Board of Directors abolished the ‘Asia Quota’ in the K League starting from the 2025 season and allowed one additional foreign player regardless of nationality to register and participate.
Accordingly, K League 1 can register up to 6 foreign players per club and have up to 4 play in games
regardless of nationality. K League 2 can register four foreign players of any nationality and one quota player from Southeast Asia (ASEAN)
and all registered foreign players can participate in the game.
According to the board of directors
this decision reflects the recent trend of major Asian leagues abolishing the Asian quota.
Major Asian leagues such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, China, Australia, and Qatar do not currently operate an Asian quota.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League will also abolish the Asian quota starting from the 2024-25 season and allow unlimited registration and participation of foreign players.
However, considering that many clubs have contracts with Asian quota players remaining until 2024
the board of directors decided to implement the changed system starting from the 2025 season after a one-year grace period.
In addition, the ‘homegrown’ system will be introduced.
If a youth player with foreign nationality has played for a certain period of time as a member of a domestic amateur team
the player is considered a domestic player when registering as a new player in the K League.
According to the Board of Directors
if a player who has played for a total of 5 years or more or 3 consecutive years as a member of a domestic amateur team
registered with the Korea Football Association until the age of 18 signs a contract with a K-League club as his first professional team and registers as a new player. 지울프-토토
they are considered domestic players and excluded from the foreign player quota.
Even after registering as a new player
he will be recognized as a domestic player when registering in the K League.
This system is also scheduled to be implemented from the 2025 season.
Initially, a quota of one player per club will be granted and expansion will be considered in the future.
In addition, the board of directors decided to partially relax the ‘U-22 mandatory attendance system
which deducts the number of substitutes if a U-22 player does not participate in a game, only for K League 1 from next year.
This change takes into account the fact that the number of substitutes has increased from 3 to 5 starting from the 2021 season
and the number of players waiting to be replaced in K League 1 has increased from 7 to 9 starting from the 2024 season.
Until this season, the U-22 mandatory appearance system allowed two replacements if a U-22 player did not start
and if only one U-22 player started and no additional substitutes, three replacements were possible.
In addition, if more than two U-22 players started or more than one player was replaced after one starter
five players could be replaced.
The ‘U-22 mandatory attendance system
which deducts the number of substitutes if a U-22 player does not play in a game, will be partially relaxed only for K-League 1.
Starting from the 2024 season, if a U-22 player does not play at all
3 players can be replaced, and if a U-22 player plays as a starter and no additional substitutes are added
4 players can be replaced.
Even if U-22 players do not start and 2 or more players are substituted, 4 players can be replaced.
If 2 or more U-22 players start or 1 or more players are substituted after 1 starter 5 players can be replaced.
Changed in any possible way.
In K League 2, the current mandatory U-22 attendance system will remain in place.
In addition
the Board of Directors established a new provision that does not apply the U-22 mandatory travel system exemption rule
when a U-22 player who is suspended due to accumulated warnings, expulsion
or disciplinary action is called up to the national team at each level.
In addition, when it is necessary to postpone the game just before kickoff due to bad weather or facility problems
a new rule has been established that the game supervisor can decide to postpone the kickoff twice, 30 minutes each
after comprehensively considering the opinions of the officials.
A new regulation was established that requires professional athletes and youth team players to complete CPR training once a year.