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FIFA has opened discussions to require all professional teams to field at least one local youth player throughout matches.
The FIFA Council agreed on Tuesday evening to try to have a formal plan within a year after a global consultation with stakeholders.
The aim is to increase playing opportunities for young players trained by clubs who typically rely on purchased and imported talent.
FIFA said it was seeking “a regulatory requirement that senior club teams are obliged to always have at least one local player from the under-20 or under-21 category on the pitch”.
Such a rule would be stricter than existing rules in domestic and international club competitions, including the Champions League, which require a quota of local and club-trained players in each squad list.
These types of rules do not impose any selection requirements in starting lineups.
Champions League rules require each team to have at least eight places reserved for “locally trained players” among the maximum 25 players in total.
A locally trained player is defined by UEFA, organizer of the Champions League, as a player trained by the club itself or in another club in the same country for at least three full seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.
Associated Press reporting.
