The K League announced after a board meeting in Seoul this week that because there’s now 26 professional clubs in the top two tiers of competition, there’s enough room for international goalkeepers.

“The increase in the number of clubs means that there are enough opportunities for domestic goalkeepers to play even if foreign goalkeepers are allowed,” the board said in a statement. “We considered the fact that with foreign player registrations restricted, the salary increase rate of domestic goalkeepers has increased disproportionately to outfield players.” There were reportedly concerns, due to the increased size of modern rosters which contain three or four goalkeepers, that there’s a shortage of quality keepers in the country.

The move will put the K League in line with other major Asian leagues in Japan, Saudi Arabia and China. (AP) DDV