From Bosman to Kolpak (playing rights in the EU)

[Guest Jeffery S.]

I am posting this here as it could well affect rights of Canadians also holding passports from non or soon to be EU countries when it comes to playing as EU or foreign players in EU leagues.

The case involved Slovakian handball keeper Maros Kolpak, who was denied the right to play for his German team on a rule limiting non-EU players. He took the decision to the EU courts and won last spring. The EU press release, quite readable, is here: http://www.curia.eu.int/en/actu/communiques/cp03/aff/cp0335en.htm

Now the Turkish striker Nihat at Real Sociedad has won a Spanish court ruling that as his country has a similar associated agreement with the EU, he should not be discriminated as a foreigner (Spain limits teams to 3 non EUs on the field at any one time). Earlier Russian Valery Karpin, also at "la Real", lost a similar case. The Nihat ruling, if applied by other EU nation courts to football, could open possibilities for our players with non-EU passports but from Eastern Europe, including those not entering the EU soon, to have the right to play without being considered non-EU players.

To be sure, cases such as those with Polish background, like Klukowski or Pozniak, will see their privileges increased when their nations enter with full rights in the EU. But for those waiting for such a moment (Turkish, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Ukraine) could take advantage of the ruling to play without being considered foreigners.