Local clubs are positive that the revised foreign players’ quota rule will make Rwandan football much more competitive.

The new quota rule was approved by football governing body (Ferwafa) last week after longstanding pleas from many clubs which have on several occasions been pushing for a move to increase foreign players in the league from three players in a starting line-up under the current 3-3 rule.

Starting next season, men’s topflight clubs will be allowed to field only five foreign players on the pitch while women’s topflight clubs and men’s second division teams are now allowed to name three foreign players in their teams.

Under the new rule, Ferwafa will only register foreign players aged below 30 while those aged over 30 will only be welcomed on condition that they played for their respective national teams over the past three years.

However, foreign players are still restricted from taking part in the women’s second division.

Some top clubs have since 2015 been appealing to for a review of the  3-3 rule  under which top flight teams have been using only three foreign players in domestic tournaments, arguing that that the rule falls short when it comes to giving competition to home players – which, in turn, sinks the level of the league and hence affects the national team’s performance at international competitions.

Now that the rule was revised, topflight clubs are confident that increasing foreign players on the pitch to five will not only change the face of the league but also give a challenge to local players to improve their performances.

"We are very happy that the new rule opens doors for more players across Africa.  We hope it ups the level of the league and other competitions organised by Ferwafa. We hope it provides more competition to our players which, in turn, can influence the national team’s performance,” Rayon Sports’ spokesperson, Paul Nkurunziza, told Times Sport.

SC Kiyovu’s Secretary-General, Omar Munyengabe, also echoed similar sentiments, saying that the new rule, "will help us to get good players who are on the caliber of challenging local players. We want to sign players who can make a difference, with a level of performance that can push our local players improve”

The new rule will also benefit women’s topflight clubs and men’s second division teams, years after they were restricted from fielding foreign players.

Amagaju secretary-general, Martin Hagenimana, said that allowing foreign players in the second division is a good opportunity for clubs to improve the level of the second-tier league competition.

The revised quota rule comes at the time when the transfer market has just opened, and will run until October 15, a day before the 2021/22 men’s topflight league season gets underway.