Since the historic Bosman ruling of 1995, which questioned quotas and other forms of limitations to foreign players in European club football, top European clubs have increasingly embraced foreign talent, some even almost entirely depending on them. Two decades on, the growing internationality of the game has revolutionised European football, winning it global appeal and attracting big money from the corporate world. This is arguably the single most important factor behind the huge financial success of the English Premier League in recent years. Such has been the influence and dominance of foreign players in the league it has often left most homegrown talent unable to nail down places in their clubs. There have been suggestions that this has largely undermined the English national team as most domestic players end up either warming the bench or plying their trade in less competitive clubs or leagues. This argument is given credence by the fact that England had not reached a major final since their 1966 World Cup triumph, until last month when they lost a final to Italy in the rescheduled 2020 Euro showpiece. Nonetheless, easing restrictions to how many foreign players can feature in any league can itself turn out to be good for the respective national team, as it injects quality into club football and raises the level of competition. This, in turn, challenges homegrown talent to work harder and earn their place on the field of play, and this newfound quality and competitive spirit ultimately benefits the national team. We hope that the latter scenario turns out to be the outcome of the recent decision by the Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) to finally grant the wish of most local clubs to increase the number of foreign players that can be fielded from three to five. Incidentally, the last time Amavubi were ranked in the top 100 globally it had benefited from a league that welcomed foreign players with open hands, subsequently improving the quality of Rwandan players. The easing of restrictions to foreign players is a step in the right direction that should benefit the clubs, but, most importantly, the national team and country.
