VICTORIOUS. Spanish Rufo Sanchez kisses the trophy after winning the UFL Cup. Photo by Josh Albelda.

MANILA, Philippines - In an attempt to fully professionalize the current semi-pro league and prioritize local football talents, the UFL may soon pose a rule limiting the number of foreign players per club.

This is according to Football Alliance (FA) president and UFL chairman Santi Araneta.

"The committee is working on formulating the rules on number of foreign players for the league and we are going in that direction but it might take time," Araneta said during the league's pre-season press conference last Thursday, January 31.

The issue was raised after the inclusion of the current league champions, Global FC, to the prestigious AFC President's Cup. The regional tournament imposes a limit on foreign players to 3 per club which the UFL does not follow at the moment.

Araneta emphasized the quality of play the foreign players bring, which elevates the level of football in the country as the reason why the rule is not imposed in the league for now.

"We did not expect the inclusion of Global FC in the (AFC) President's Cup. Of course, we welcome it but the rules in our local league compared to international are quite different. We appreciate the quality that the foreign players bring and it really helps in the development of football in the country," Araneta said.

The AFC President's Cup will start its group stage matches on May 2-12 this year. - Rappler.com