K-League clubs would be allowed to register foreign players as goalkeepers for the first time in 27 years, starting with next year’s season, the South Korean top division league said.
The league banned its clubs from registering foreign players as keepers in 1999, when it had eight teams, in a bid to ensure domestic keepers get enough playing time. The K-League 1 now has 12 teams, with a second tier introduced in 2013.
The decision to end the ban on foreign keepers was taken at a board meeting on Thursday, the league said in a statement on Friday.
Photo: REUTERS
“The board said it took into consideration the fact that foreign players were restricted from registering as goalkeepers, a specialized position, resulting in excessive salary increases for domestic players compared to field players,” it added.
“The number of clubs has increased significantly since the time the foreign goalkeeper restriction was introduced, so even if foreign goalkeepers were allowed, domestic goalkeepers would still have enough playing time,” it said.
“As a result, from 2026, the K-League will remove the stipulation that the goalkeeper must be a domestic player from the K-League’s competition guidelines, which will apply to both the K-League 1 and K-League 2,” the league added.
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