The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) has informed member clubs of the latest amendment made on the foreign players quota rule. According to the amended quota, the number of foreign players in the league has been raised to 10 up from six. However, FERWAFA said, the clubs are not allowed to exceed six players on the pitch. Only six will be allowed to start a match, while the remaining four can start on the bench. The decision comes after the Rwanda Premier League formally requested FERWAFA for a final ruling on the number of foreign players allowed on the field, citing potential financial losses from clubs which had signed a big number of foreign players. The league body argued that, to enhance the competitiveness of Rwandan football on an international level, the number of foreign players on the pitch should be increased from six to eight. They also proposed that, within the 30-man squad limit for each team, up to 12 could be foreign players. Despite the league body’s plea, Amavubi head coach Torsten Frank Spittler argued that the number should instead be reduced to three, expressing concerns that the level of foreign players, who he described as ‘fourth-grade’ players, does not contribute significantly to the development of Rwandan players.
