British and Swiss players will be treated as European Union (EU) citizens in Italy following a request made by Serie A, Italy’s football federation (FIGC) said on Wednesday, allowing Italian teams to free up space to sign non-EU players.
Italian clubs are only permitted to register two non-EU players each season, a rule which remained in place after Britain left the EU in 2020. “Players with Swiss and British citizenship are equivalent to EU players in all respects,” FIGC said in a statement following a Federal Council meeting on Monday.
The reform will apply from the 2023-24 season.
The decision will be welcomed by AC Milan, among other Italian clubs, who signed English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Premier League side Chelsea in June. Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma have had previously used the two-player quota following the signing of defender Chris Smalling and striker Tammy Abraham in recent years, with both English players starting regularly for the Rome side.
via Reuters
