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A-League relaxes salary cap rules to allow for more foreign-born marquees

Salary cap rules have been eased in Australian football's A-League to allow clubs to recruit more than one foreign-born marquee player.

Under previous regulations, clubs were allowed two marquee players whose salaries fell outside the salary cap but one of those players had to be Australian.

The new rules, which take effect immediately, allow clubs to recruit two players of any nationality and are aimed at attracting players of the caliber of former A-League imports Alessandro Del Piero, Robbie Fowler, Emile Heskey and Dwight Yorke.

The league has also increased from 10 to 14 weeks the maximum period for which clubs can sign guest players, whose salary is also unregulated. Spain's David Villa joined Melbourne City for four weeks last season as a guest player.