The FFA has detailed proposed changes to the A-League’s rules regarding foreign player quotas. The plan, expected to be further examined over the next few seasons, is set to be tentatively introduced in time for the 2018-19 season.
At the moment, A-League clubs are allowed to sign five foreign players from any footballing confederation. The new system would enforce a 4+1 quota, where five total foreign players can be still registered, but one of them must hail from an AFC nation.
This would further push the A-League in line with the rest of Asia, where various +1 AFC player quota systems are in place.
Widespread reports have mooted that China is planning an alteration to their system, which would involve doing away with the Asian player slot, and would restrict teams from fielding more than three foreigners on any given matchday, although five foreigners would be allowed to be present in the squad.
Japan have a system that allows five foreign players to be registered, but only three (+1 AFC player) to be present in the matchday squad. Since 2009, the K-League has had a simple 3+1 rule.
These changes, proposed by David Gallop and the rest of the governing body, might spur on A-League clubs to source more liberally from our region.
It would also help in simplifying squad selection headaches for teams competing in the AFC Champions League – where a 3+1 restriction is in place – whittling down the ineligible number of players, at least by one.
But there is one team for whom this new system only stands to complicate things.
The Wellington Phoenix, already a club whose future seems dimmer than the rest, is not an AFC nation, still sectioned off in Oceania. These new changes are supposed to help integrate Australian clubs into the Asian footballing community, but they further alienate the Nix from the A-League.
The majority of the Phoenix’s roster are Kiwi nationals, or from other nations. They have five Australians in their first team squad, and at the moment – without even considering what light these new changes would cast the Nix into – it’s tricky deducing exactly how the Wellington club are viewed in the Asian region.
They play in an Asian league, but are not from an Asian country. AFC Champions League places are only available to teams that come from confederation countries, so, if they were to qualify, would the Nix even be able to compete in the AFC Champions League, let alone field an eligible team?
It seems as though the muddy answer, at this point, is no. Kosta Barbarouses occupied a foreign player slot last season at the Victory, but is not occupying one for the Nix. Similarly, Australian players like Dylan Fox and Vince Lia do not take up visa spots for the Nix. The Phoenix are not allowed to play in the Oceania Champions League because they compete in an Asian domestic league, with players registered with the FFA, not that there would be much benefit were the rules to be bent to accommodate them; they would like dominate the competition to a degree that borders on pointlessness.
So, the Nix are technically an Asian team from the perspective of the OFC, and technically an Oceanic team from the perspective of the AFC. The Phoenix, with their dwindling membership, and suffering as they are through another underwhelming season, are in a cruel and unusual limbo. Now, new rules are being proposed by the FFA that appear to be indifferent to their situation – changes that are, if anything, hindering the process of extrication.
If these rules are designed with the AFC in mind, should they even apply to the Nix at all? The Phoenix would – assuming they’re still around for the ’18-19 season – have to sign an AFC-nation player if they want to fill their full complement of foreign slots. Oceanic players, like Roy Krishna, count as foreign players under current A-League rules, and yet they have a closer regional association to the Nix than a player from Korea or Japan.
Are the FFA regretting their decision to renew the Nix’s license last season? Is this latest announcement as much a passive-aggressive manoeuvre as it is a forward thinking update, designed indirectly to further isolate the New Zealand club?
Wellington have been pilloried for being, at times, an outfit wallowing and dragging the rest of the A-League down. Is it any wonder, though, when they are forced to straddle two confederations, enjoying very few of the benefits of either, stretching in a more excruciating fashion every season?
Kasey
Roar Pro
you have proof of this?
Griffo
Roar Guru
The whole question of the Nix playing in the ACL isn't helped by the nationalities of the squad - any New Zealander is seen as an OFC player... ...effectively the case for the Nix to be excluded from the ACL would become fairly moot if there were mainly Australian (ie: AFC) players + max of five New Zealand (OFC) players. This would, as Northerner has pointed out, go a long way towards the Nix being seen as an Aussie (AFC) club and not a 'foreign' one. How New Zealand (the country) and the Nix fans would see and support an 'Aussie' club, full of Aussie players, based in Wellington, is an entirely different question.
vin
Guest
Australia bought their way into the asian confederation aswell, don't just think these things come for free. be grateful
northerner
Guest
Jacko: I refer you to Section5 of the Entry Manual AFC Club Competitions: " Maximum number of slots per MA 5.4. MAs shall be allocated a maximum of one third (1/3) of the total number of clubs in their national top division league. This figure includes direct slots and playoff slots. 5.4.1. When determining the number of clubs in the national top division league of an MA, ‘foreign’ clubs shall not be considered. 5.4.2. The AFC General Secretariat has sole discretion to determine whether a club shall be considered a ‘foreign’ club for the above purpose.
Brian Orange
Roar Guru
Please explain why the AFC would kick out one of its most watched and biggest drawing countries. The Australia v Japan WC Qualifiers regularly top the ratings across Asia, where hundreds of millions love to watch.
northerner
Guest
Monaco plays in the French League. FC Andorra plays in the Spanish league. San Marino Calcio plays in the lower divisions of the Italian league.
Brian Orange
Roar Guru
Foxtel are simply helping the FFA to decide where the new A-League franchise would get the most fans and viewers. They are business partners and are allowed to talk to each other. If one location had twice as many football followers and Pay TV subscribers as another, why wouldn't the FFA and Foxtel be interested? At the end of the day, sport is a business too.
Jacko
Guest
Pretty sure the FAILED A league teams had the financial backing too...They still failed over finance tho so how do you explain that? These guys have all the start-up finance they need then fail in keeping the backers putting in money so they die....Nix very stable financially
Jacko
Guest
Kick Victory out of the League...Quick
Jacko
Guest
The NIX are not an NZ team, they are an A-league team which is an Aus comp. Where they play and train is not relevant. You can take games where eva you want
Jonno
Guest
The timing of this reeks of distraction from the Victorys appalling draw of visiting 2 "countries" in a week.
Jonno
Guest
Thers a big difference between having no interest and providing info to the FFA showing how much the FFA would expand for advertisers if the 3 big cities have more teams.
pauly
Guest
Totally looking forward to cut-throat qualifiers against Fiji watched by a bunch of schoolchildren who got free tickets in Coffs Harbour.
pauly
Guest
Welsh teams compete in the English leagues, Canadian teams compete in the MLS.
Nemesis
Guest
There are about a dozen clubs who want to join the ALeague tomorrow. They have the financial backing. They just need the FFA tick of approval.
Richard
Roar Rookie
Can't help feeling the FFA are having a bob each way with the Phoenix. Without their financial stability, a nine team a-League would serve no purpose to the growth of football in this country or region. The collapse of the Gold Coast and North Queensland sides have those in power a little bit wary of when and who to introduce as the eleventh and twelfth teams. The last thing we need is to get rid of the Nix and then find one of the new teams suffers from financial collapse and we go back to having a bye. As far as the world Cup goes who says the AFC won't boot Australia out and tell them to go back to the Oceania confederation if an automatic spot becomes available.
Hammerhead
Guest
Does Oceania get direct qualification with 48 teams? If they do then there's really no need for teams from NZ in the A-League, let alone any motivation for them to join the AFC.
Nemesis
Guest
Nope. He was specifically asked about regional centres, Canberra & Tasmania. He said he had no preference to where the expansion occurred, all his organisation desired was more teams in the ALeague.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
A good response - he has no preference - as long as the new teams come from any of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This has been reported multiple times, so we can give it some credence, plus, who on here would doubt that Fox would want the new teams to come from these three cities?
Nemesis
Guest
This is simply not true. It's a falsehood you've been repeating for the past 6 weeks. The FoxSports CEO was specifically asked this question & he said FoxSports has no preference for where the new ALeague clubs are based, but his organisation is totally committed to expanding the competition.