La Liga refers to the first division of the Spanish league. The main professional soccer league in Spain is officially named as Liga BBVA for sponsorship reasons. It is one of the most professional and exciting leagues in Europe, attracting some of the best soccer talent from around the world.

Just 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 are allowed to play in the league. Let’s take a quick look at the league rules.

Ascent-Relegation Regulation

Every year, 20 teams participate in the competition. The three teams that finish bottom of the league table are relegated to the 2nd division of the Spanish league system, with the top two finishers in the next lower division and the winner in a play-off replacing the relegated clubs. .

Inclusion of non-EU players

There is an upper limit when it comes to the retention of non-EU players in this top division of the Spanish league. In La Liga, each team can retain a maximum of three foreign players. Even in the second division, each participating club can keep only 2 players. If any La Liga club is relegated to the lower division, they are allowed to keep the same number of foreign players until their contracts expire.

What does “Not EU” mean? The sentence has been repeated many times after various verdicts of the Court of Justice of the European Communities. According to a decision adopted by the Spanish Federation in this regard, the participating teams of LaLiga have the right to make the best use of the rules and bring many foreign players to their squad.

Claim of Citizenship

Foreign players can apply for Spanish citizenship from the countries from which their ancestors descended. In La Liga, a player from outside the EU can claim Spanish citizenship if he has played in Spain for at least five years and this can result in triple citizenship. Let us give you an example. Leo Franco was born in Argentina and is of Italian descent. He is able to apply for Spanish citizenship, having played in the country for over five years.

Players arriving from ACP countries, including Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, are not considered in the non-EU category under the Kolpak ruling.

Breach of rules and conduct

All La Liga clubs are required to comply with the rules and regulations clearly specified by the highest authority in the Spanish football league system which, in turn, ensures 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 after the accusation of transferring minor players (under 18 years of age).

The defending La Liga champions are not allowed to play any new players until January 2016. The club appealed against the ban, but it was not lifted. However, they have been allowed to sell players during the time of the transfer ban.