Home-grown players: European Commission asks Spanish basketball to change its rules

The European Commission called on FEB (Spanish Basketball Federation) and ACB (Spanish Association of Basketball clubs) to change their current rules on locally trained players, which lead to "indirect discrimination against players from other member states of the European Union," the commission said on 16/04/2014.

Both Spanish basketball organisations require teams participating in their competitions to include at least four players (out of eleven) that are locally trained (in the 1^st divisions). To be considered "home-grown", the player must be an EU citizen and have played in an FEB club for at least three seasons while 13 to 19 years old.

"As Spanish players are more easily able to fulfil this condition, the nationals of other member states may be particularly disadvantaged," said the European Commission.

The Spanish organisations have two months to communicate the measures they have taken to the European Commission. Otherwise, it may decide to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

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