Livida Sport: A Global Guide to Football Transfers - Second Edition - Manual / Resource - Page 89
United Arab
Emirates
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UAE Pro League
The UAE Pro League is the top tier of professional football in the United Arab Emirates.
Founded in 1973, the league has grown in popularity in recent years and is now ranked as
the fourth most competitive league in Asia by the Asian Football Confederation, with AlAin, the Pro League’s most successful club, winning the 2023/24 AFC Champions
League.
Driving the league’s growth are the arrivals of many high-profile foreign players who have
contributed to improving the quality of the league. Notable examples include Adel
Taarabt (Al-Nasr), Allan (formerly of Al-Wahda) and retired footballing legend, Andres
Iniesta, who played for the Emirates Club last season.
What are the foreign player rules?
The UAE Pro League allows teams to have a maximum of 25 players in their squad.
Within this limit, at least 15 players must be born in the United Arab Emirates and a
maximum of five can be foreign professional players.
The additional slots (i.e. up to five) can be used by players who meet the league’s
'Resident Policy Program'. This Program allows up to five additional foreign players in
the squad so long as they are players who can become eligible to play for the United
Arab Emirates national team. These players must be born in or after 2004, so there is a
strong emphasis on encouraging young overseas players to join the UAE Pro League
clubs for the longer-term benefit of the national team.
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