Why non-European football players play in European Champions League?
543323
Basically money. There is generally more money available in the UEFA comfederation than in South America, Asia, Africa....etc.\n\nThats all it boils down to really.
316132
It is like that to keep the atmosphere up to a high level. If it was held every year then it would be boring and players might tangle their clubs with their international duties.
515272
As noted above, players coming to the UK from other EU member nations don't require a permit.\nPlayers coming from outside of EU member countries must come from a nation ranked inside the top 70 by FIFA, and that player must have played in at least 75% of the international games the country has participated in over the last 2 years
524996
Many countries are having that very debate right now. I don't think much will change anywhere though. There is way too much pressure for clubs to be competitive, especially in the Champions League or UEFA Cup. England is however already one of the most restrictive European countries when is comes to allowing foreign players. As far as I know, 1st and 2nd Division teams have very few foreign players due to these restrictions.\nIn Germany even 2nd Division clubs are full of foreigners because 16 year old German kids are demanding 6 figure yearly wages. So the clubs prefer to buy a player of the same caliber from abroad who will play for a tenth of that. This is the main reason why Germany hasn't fielded a decent side in ages.
1004401
actually, any player can play for any team, most of the time, Players play for their birth countries, but there are also who plays for the country they spent most of their life in. To make matters worse, there are even players that has no connection to a country watsoever, but they still play for them because of financial matters or others. Furthurmore, there are players, who were born in Brazil, probabaly lived there too, but are not good enough for the national team, in that case, he will try out for a less-experienced team, usually ones that are close to brazil(as an example) so he would not be considered a "traitor".\nBottom line, u can play for whoever you wnat, as long as ur skills and ur dignity are there.
632247
not really .. i think it's all down to the importance of the games they play as well ... look at wayne rooney and john terry in the Chelsea vs Man Utd game ... It all boils down to the player .. where does your duty to the club you are playing for and your duty playing for your country end and the other begin?
449727
The players have to basques or from Navarra, but in fact the rule is not really true because they have had a French guy, Lizarazu, and some players are from the different places in Spain but have some basque relative or were born there even if they never lived there like happened to Roberto Rios.\nIt is worse in Real Sociedad, only basques or foreigners.
851493
Because they aren't professional athletes.
1009692
Now the Polaks are talking.  Where were you when you had a Nigerian player play for you in 2002 world cup. If a player moves to a country at a very young age, learns his football there, and adopts the country as his own it is well within his right to play there. Murat and Hakan Yakin of Switzerland are Turkish. Mithat the point guard for Germany basketball team is Turkish. Alex is Brazilian plays for Japan. Hell Zidane is Algerian. Lets be objective.  It is a global world.
1050552
because europe has the best teams
310205
by increasing the prize money and salaries... teams would automatically recruit better players and impiort some from abroad too... fans come to watch good football, not just their team winning. If the players would be better the game would anyways be good and fans would be more.\nplus the game also needs better sponsorship in the states, which is not there
415693
The rules vary by countries, because only the best leagues in Europe have 4 Championship places while others only 2 or 1. But in the case of the Premiere league that you are asking, I quote the Premiere League Web Site:\n\n"The top two sides in the league qualify automatically for the UEFA Champions League. The teams that finish third and fourth qualify for the final qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. The fifth-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Cup, as do the FA Cup winners and the Carling Cup winners. If a club already in Europe wins the FA Cup, the UEFA Cup place goes to the runners-up. If the runners-up are also already in Europe, the place will go to the next highest-placed league team. If the winners of the Carling Cup are already in Europe the UEFA Cup place goes to the next highest-placed league team. \n\nEuropean Places are also available for English teams in the Inter-Toto Cup and via the Fair Play League, where the highest placed team in the Fair Play League that hasn't qualified for Europe by other means is entered into a UEFA draw. If a team is drawn out of the hat they enter the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup."\n\nIn summary,  first 2 places of the league directly to Champions League; 3rd and 4th place to the qualifying rounds of the Champions League; 5th place to UEFA cup, as well as the winners of FA Cup and Carling Cup (which are elimination type cups, like US playoffs), which also qualify for UEFA cup.
791620
My personal thought on the matter is that African players haven't gotten the recognition they deserve simply because they haven't been able to develop their skills in Africa.  Many are required to leave so that they can access the facilities required to develop into great footballers, simply because many African governments have been too poor to fund nice pitches and hire coaches/managers that are required to run organized leagues and enhance competition thereby increasing the talent level, therefore only the elite of the elite make it in African football, whereas others with the sort of talent level to play on an international level, are simply never given the chance.  As Africa continues to grow economically the demand to see more African footballers will grow with it, more talented African players will make it into the elite leagues of Europe(and hopefully North America).... and remember friend what week doesn't pass by that you don't see footage of Didier Drogba(Cote D'Ivoire) or Samuel E'too(Cameroon).
996410
No and Europeans dont play that ball either. The balls are illegal. Everyone plays the same size ball according to R&A rules.
1068569
They have to be citizens to be able to play for their country. Some players are immigrants who were naturalized, so they became citizens.The Netherlands wanted Salomon Kalou from cote d'Ivoire on their team( he was already living and playing in the Netherlands) so they tried to speed up his naturalization process. Unfortunately the govenment didn't agree to this speeding up and so he was not able to play for the Dutch team.
692478
Primarily its money\n\nSecondarily its the chance to win the champions league\n\nThirdly it could be the chance to play with and against top teams and players in the English Premier League.
1073759
Not completely right but you are onto something. The important thing is that players are challenged in their own leagues. Some of the best leagues in the world are in Europe, but You should also consider others like Brazil, Argentina and Mexico as very competitive leagues.