Historic Decision Among Turkic States: Footballers to Be Counted as Domestic Players

A historic step has been taken that directly affects foreign player status and transfer dynamics in Turkish football. It has been announced that member countries of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have reached an agreement to mutually treat each other's footballers as domestic players.

Kürşad Zorlu, Deputy Chairman of the AK Party and Head of Relations with Turkic States, shared the details of the new arrangement at a press conference held ahead of the 13th OTS Leaders' Summit, which will take place in Ankara on 29-30 October. Zorlu stated that a joint decision had been reached at a meeting hosted last week by the Turkish Football Federation with the participation of the Turkic states, and stressed that a strong football ecosystem would be built across the Turkic world.

"With this summit, our footballers will no longer be considered foreign but will be counted as domestic players in our Turkic states on a reciprocal basis. We will create a common football ecosystem in the Turkic world. We will bring our great talents to each other's countries," Zorlu said.

Which Countries' Footballers Will Count as Domestic Players?

Following the new arrangement, attention has turned to the countries within the Organization of Turkic States. The organization's full members are Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Hungary hold observer status in the organization. Once the decision takes effect, a fundamental change is expected in the status of footballers who are citizens of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in particular in Türkiye's leagues.

It has not yet been announced from which date or under which rules the arrangement will be implemented.