The Relationship Between Foreign Football Player Quota and Team Performance

In this study, the relationship between the foreign player quotas applied in the Turkish Super League (TSL) and the performance indicators of the Turkish National Team and Super League teams in European cups is analyzed. By adopting a quantitative approach in the study, the data on the foreign player quota practices of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) Super League for the years 1996-2024 were analyzed, and the correlation between the foreign player quota and various performance indicators was investigated. The results reveal that there is no statistically significant relationship between the foreign player quota and national team and club performance indicators. Accordingly, no significant correlation was found between foreign player quotas on a yearly basis and the annual average score of the national team, UEFA country ranking, qualification stages reached in major tournaments, the participation of the national team in the World Cup and European Championship, the number of clubs participating in UEFA tournaments, and the number of matches played in UEFA's Club level leagues. However, a significant relationship was found between the total foreign player quota and the mean number of players called up from Turkish leagues in the starting 11 of the Turkish National Team (r=-.739; p