Tav to Turkey latest as Rangers captain awaits news | OneFootball

The James Tavernier to Turkey story took another slight twist after some media claimed the Turkish Football Federation have upheld their January decision to limit foreign players in domestic matches.

The Rangers captain has been strongly linked with a move to Turkey, Qatar or Saudi Arabia, with Besiktas and Trabzonspor especially interested according to Turkish news agencies, Giovanni van Bronckhorst of course being Tavernier’s old gaffer and previously claimed to be preparing a bid.

But it’s been alleged that Turkish football authorities have recently sustained the January ruling that Turkish teams cannot have more than 12 ‘foreign’ players in domestic matchday squads, although there is no limit for the roster in general and obviously it doesn’t affect European football.

The ‘twist’ is that there are mixed claims about exactly what the federation has said – some headlines allege there’s a reducing limit, aka, foreign players will reduce over time in Turkey, others claim it’s the opposite, that the limit itself is being reduced as a restriction and foreign player numbers will increase.

The exact statement (from January):

Scottish press claim TFF released a recent statement saying that this practice will continue, but we find no record of this.

Even more tellingly, it’s very hard to tell what the overall statement is actually saying, with apparent contradictions.

Ultimately, James Tavernier’s future remains up in the air and we will find out definitively on Friday whether he is to remain in Govan or not.