TFF Announces "6+1" Rule

TFF Announces "6+1" Rule
By Nathan L. Redd and Ugur Pembecioglu

The much-anticipated decision on the foreign player limit was handed down on Saturday by the Turkish Futbol Federation. The new rule, the TFF announced, will be for "6+1" - meaning Turkcell Super Lig teams may now have seven non-Turkish players on their matchday roster. However, only six may be on the pitch at any one time.

The decision is somewhat of a mild surprise for many. Numerous team officials were hoping for an unlimited amount or possibly a limit of ten players. However, the consensus in recent weeks had been that the TFF would hand down a "6+2" limit; allowing for six non-Turkish players on the pitch, with either two non-Turkish reserves on the 25-man roster or the 18-man matchday roster.

It was widely reported that at least 14 of the 18 Super Lig teams favored an addition to the "six-man rule." However, Besiktas Chairman Yildirim Demiroren was vocal about his opposition to the rule, along with his uncle, TFF President Haluk Ulusoy.

For Fenerbahce, the decision likely means that at least one of the players currently under contract may be departing. It has been speculated that the player would likely be striker Deivid de Souza, but de Souza recently spoke about his hope of remaining in Kadikoy. The decision now leaves Fenerbahce President Aziz Yildirim and his board with some crucial decisions to make.

Special thanks to my friend Ugur Pembecioglu for contributing information for this story. Ugur has a fantastic website, which you can visit by clicking here: http://since1907.blogspot.com/