With the deep integration of the global soccer market, the introduction of foreign players has become an unstoppable trend of the times. Since the 2024-2025 season, the Asian Football Champions League (AFC Champions League) has fully liberalized its restrictions on foreign players. With international league barriers having been dismantled and player movement becoming more frequent, it seems logical for the K-League to absorb more foreign players. However, this radical liberalization strategy has also sparked widespread controversy in Korean soccer circles.
A public hearing on the K-League's foreign player system was held in Seoul recently, and the participants generally agreed that the reform should be "gradual". At the meeting, K-League club staff, technical experts, media reporters and other industry players agreed on the overall direction of expanding the foreign player policy, while also pointing out details that need attention.
While actively pursuing foreign aid expansion, the K-League must first weigh the many potential risks. The foreign aid quota is not only the bottom line to guarantee playing time for local players and incentivize them to improve, but also a safeguard to prevent clubs from getting into financial trouble by over-importing foreign players. The K-League is also exploring removing the restriction on foreign goalkeepers, but this change needs to be made "steadily".
During the hearing, Shim Eui-seon, goalie coach of Cheonan U-18 team, pointed out that due to the lack of professional teams in the past, the cultivation of Korean goalies has been limited. But now, with the increase in the number of professional teams, he called on the K-League to remove restrictions on foreign goalkeepers. However, any policy adjustments must be made with extreme caution, given the special role goalkeepers play in teams.
