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The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has announced that starting from 2006, clubs participating in the Champions League and UEFA Cup must have four homegrown players in their squad of 25.
According to UEFA, a player is considered homegrown if he has been registered with the club for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21.
Clubs participating in European competitions for two years must have at least two players in their team who have moved up from the youth team to the first team, as well as two players who have trained in the same country.
In 2007, clubs will be required to have one more such player each (a total of 6), and in 2008, even one more (a total of 8).
It is reported that out of last season's Champions League participants, five clubs do not meet the new requirements - London's "Arsenal" and "Chelsea", Glasgow's "Celtic" and Rangers, as well as Amsterdam's "Ajax".
UEFA would like to implement this system in national championships as well, but this would require the approval of the 52 member associations, with a decision to be made at the Congress in Tallinn in July.
However, the proposal to use these rules in national championships has faced significant resistance from some leagues and the most famous clubs, so the possibility of implementing it seems unlikely.
