The Spanish Football Federation have revealed African players will
no longer be classed as non-European Union workers in the Primera
Liga.
The RFEF made the ruling in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement,
a treaty signed in Benin in 2000 by members of the EU and a group
of 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific states.
The agreement stipulates that nationals from those countries
working legally in Europe should have the same rights as EU
citizens.
In many European countries, football clubs are prevented from
selecting more than three non-EU players in each match, but the
RFEF's new ruling, which was made following consultation with FIFA
and UEFA, means that will no longer be the case in La Liga.
"From now on players from these countries that play in Spain will
be considered as coming from the European Union as will those that
sign in the future," said RFEF spokesman Jorge Carretero.
Among the players affected by the RFEF's ruling are Barcelona duo
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) and Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Real Madrid's
Mahamadou Diarra (Mali) and Sevilla striker Arouna Kone (Ivory
Coast).
