Players from African, Carribean and Pacific countries will no longer be considered as non EU by the Spanish La Liga. This is in accordance with the Cotonu accord, signed by the European Union and the ACP ( African, Carribean, Pacific States) in Benin in June 2000.
Spain has a rule which allows domestic clubs to sign only four players of non European nationality. Further, only three players can be named in the squad for a game. The move will allow for more South American talent to flow in, as Africans will no longer be considered as non European. Previously, if you had to free up a spot occupied by an African, you would have to wait till he acquired Spanish nationality.
Players who might be affected by the new ruling include
Samuel Etoo- Cameroon ( Barcelona)
Yaya Toure- Ivory Coast ( Barcelona)
Arouna Kone- Ivory Coast ( Sevilla)
Mahamadou Diarra- Mali ( Real Madrid)
Carlos Kameni- Cameroon ( Espanyol)