The biggest clubs in the world have a rather liberal transfer policy that allows them to sign any player from anywhere as long the player fits the profile they’re looking for. It’s not uncommon to find foreigners playing in a country’s top-flight league but in the world of football, there are some clubs whose policies limit the kind of players they can sign. Some of the policies are written while some are unwritten. Limiting the option of players that a club can sign and competing in top-flight football in any country is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back. It may have hindered the success of these clubs but some have been quite successful despite their restrictive policies. We’ve made a list of some clubs around the world with the most restrictive transfer policies.
1. Athletic Club
Also known as Athletic Bilbao, they’re probably the most famous club on this list. Their Basque-only player policy only allows them to sign players born, or raised in the Basque Country of Spain. Since 1912, the club has only fielded players born or developed in the Basque Country. Surprisingly, despite this handicap, they’re the only club apart from Real Madrid and Barcelona to have never been relegated from La Liga. They have also been quite successful in terms of trophies as well. They’re the fourth most successful team in La Liga with eight titles and are second only to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
2. Altinordu FK
Altinordu FK is a Turkish club that only signs Turkish players. Their aim according to their president Seyit Mehmet Ozkan is to build a team comprised of only academy players and compete in the highest level of Turkish football; the Super Lig. The club feels that they have an obligation to develop players on and off the field. The president said the club took inspiration from Athletic Bilbao. They currently play in the second tier of Turkish football and still dream of one day playing in the first tier with a team composed of only Turkish players.
3. FC Chertanovo Moscow
This Russian club was founded in 1993 and focuses on the youth. They only field players from their own academy usually with an average age of 20. They have been described as the Russian Athletic Bilbao and while they have not been as successful as the Spanish side, they provide the Russian national team with a plethora of youth talent. Six of their players were part of the Russian squad that won the under-17 Euros in 2013, more than any other club. They currently play in the Russian Second League Division B, the fourth tier of Russian football.
4. Club Deportivo El Nacional
This Ecuadorian club was founded in 1964 and run by the Ecuadorian armed forces, they only sign and field Ecuadorian players. They fielded only one foreigner by accident. Rinson Lopez was a Colombian right-back who signed for the club in 2016. The club thought that he was from Kito in Ecuador but Lopez confessed after 41 games for the club that his papers had been faked and he was actually from Colombia. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A; the top tier of Ecuadorian football.
5. Gimchong Sangmu FC
This South Korean team is made up of South Korean footballers in their compulsory military service year. They only accept active football players on their compulsory military service. They’re not exactly an independent club but they’re quite restricted in the kind of players they field so they make the list.