Serie A clubs allowed to sign 2nd non-EU player

Published Jul. 5, 2011 3:06 p.m. ET

foxsports

Each club in Serie A will be allowed to sign a second non-EU player for next season according to new rules adopted by the Italian football federation on Tuesday.

The move is in part a response to the poor performance by Italian clubs in Europe last season. No Italian club made it past the quarterfinals of the Champions League and the Round of 32 in the Europa League.

Last July in the wake of Italy's first-round exit from the World Cup, the federation reduced the number of non-EU players from two to one as a measure to promote Italian players.

Nonetheless, Germany passed Italy for third place on UEFA's ranking list, and Serie A will have only three - down from four - clubs in the 2012-13 Champions League.