Sport | Macau’s lower football leagues to run foreigner-less

In a change enacted by the Macau Football Association (MFA) and enforced for the first time this season, the teams competing in the lower leagues (Fourth and Senior “Veterans” Division of the MFA competitions) have been forced to exclude all players who do not hold a Resident Card (BIR). According to sources at several clubs, this measure has excluded a significant number of players.

In a statement to the Times, the MFA Competition Department said that the matter has been in discussion for some time and it “has been organizing meetings with clubs.”
The local association which organizes all championships noted that they support “an open discussion with clubs regarding the regulations and games,” noting that the MFA Executive Committee made all decisions after hearing the clubs speak.

The MFA explained that among those decisions is one to allow the clubs participating in the championships from the First to Third Division to register “eight foreign players and 18 local players.”

For the Fourth and Senior Division, each team “can register a minimum of 14 and maximum 18 local players.” This decision excludes the participation of foreign players.

According to information that Times had access to, at least one of the clubs involved has tried to call for a dismissal of this rule through a letter to the MFA which includes a legal opinion.

Failing a dismissal, the letter at least requests that the enforcement of the rule be postponed for one year in order to give teams enough time to adjust to the new rules which according to them, “come with a very short notice.”

The legal opinion in the letter also noted that the decision to enforce a discriminatory rule is invalid in relation to local laws since it is, “inadequate, disproportionate, and unnecessary.”

The letter went on to remind the association that lower divisions are not categorized as competitive sports but exist as a way to abide by the idea of “Sports for All,” a government initiative promoted through several Sports Bureau programs.

In the same letter, the clubs call for the MFA to consider both the regulations regarding the sport as established by the International governing body FIFA, as well as local government policies on the matter and even human rights laws.

The letter explained that in Macau there is a very high percentage of people who live and work in the region that are not entitled to be residents.

It concluded, “[it] breaks with a long and rooted tradition of cosmopolitanism in Macau and ignores the social reality of the region – hardly comparable to any other country or region, including mainland China.”

The letter contended that the reality of Macau’s social fabric should have been taken into account by the Executive Committee of the MFA as there are no previous reports showing that these leagues had become crowded by foreign players.

The MFA reaffirmed that it is not trying to exclude foreigners from the championships, stressing, “foreign players are welcome to participate in different [competition] levels [from First to Third Division].”