Africa, Africa (and the EU)
The RFEF made the ruling in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement, a treaty signed in Benin in 2000 by members of the EU and a group of seventy-seven African, Caribbean and Pacific states. The agreement stipulates that nationals from those countries working legally in Europe should have the same rights as EU citizens and was ratified by the Spanish parliament in April 2006. Among the players affected by the RFEF's ruling are Barcelona duo Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) and Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra (Mali) and Sevilla striker Arouna Kone (Ivory Coast). However, it is unclear as to how widely the decision will be applied in practice as, at present, African players without EU links through family or residence need to meet criteria related to their number of international appearances and the ranking of their national team in order to receive a work permit to play in the UK.
Digg this
Add to del.icio.us
Add to stumbleupon
