Türkiye may grant domestic player status to footballers from Turkic states
Footballers from Turkic countries playing for Turkish clubs may be granted domestic player status instead of being considered as foreign players, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Kürşad Zorlu, Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and head of its department responsible for relations with Turkic states, announced it during the Turkic World Youth Gathering in Kocaeli Province.
According to Zorlu, the initiative was backed by the Turkish Football Federation and the relevant ministry responsible for youth and sports. The Turkish side is currently awaiting responses from the sports ministries of other Turkic countries.
Zorlu said the proposed change would strengthen ties between the countries and create more opportunities for the development of young footballers. He added that uniting the potential of the Turkic world, which has a combined population of around 200 million, could help improve the competitiveness of national teams.
The meeting also saw a proposal to organize a football tournament called the “Turkic Cup” every two years, featuring national teams from Turkic states. According to Zorlu, the competition would help identify promising young players and provide them with opportunities to develop their professional careers.
If the initiative is approved by participating countries, the relevant decisions could be officially announced at the summit of Turkic state leaders scheduled to take place in Ankara in late October.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Khiva officially became the Youth Capital of the Turkic World for 2026.