Under the Cotonou Agreement, signed by the EU and the Group of African Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP), the nationals of ACP states who are employed legally in the EU are free from any form of discrimination based on nationality. That means that once these workers have won visas to work in an EU member state they should enjoy many of the same employment rights as EU nationals working in that country.
The agreement has led many NGBs to understand they could not count ACP players as non-EU nationals when implementing player quota systems designed to promote ‘home grown players’. As a result, ACP players in some sports are effectively treated and counted as EU nationals, rather than overseas (non-EU) players, limiting the effect of quotas and the ability of sports to bring through domestic talent.
However, Michal Krejza, Head of the Sports Unit at the European Commission and Europe’s most senior sports policy official, indicated yesterday at CCPR’s European Sport Summit, that the Commission was ready to state that:
“It is the decision of individual member states to admit Cotonou players, not the European Union.”
His statement runs counter to the understanding that ACP players cannot be included in overseas quota systems and affords national governing bodies greater scope to promote the development of home grown players. It follows a long campaign, led by CCPR, to establish exactly what the Cotonou Agreement means for sport and sportsmen and women.
Brigid Simmonds, CCPR Chair, welcomed the announcement:
“This could be a key ruling for governing bodies. We all want to see our national sports teams doing well and there’s no doubt that the influx of foreign players into domestic sport can hinder success.
“Giving NGBs greater control and autonomy over who plays and who doesn’t is sensible, and governing bodies can now use this interpretation to strengthen quota systems. We’ve been pressing for more clarity on the rules regarding free movement of players for some time and this certainly makes the picture clearer as far as sport is concerned and that can only be welcome.”
