Portugal's Foreigners & Borders Service (SEF) "signed on Tuesday a cooperation agreement" with the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Portuguese League of Professional Football (LPFP) and the Professional Football Players Syndicate (SJPF) with the "goal of supervising and battling situations of illegal" immigrant footballers, according to LUSA. By signing the agreement, the four governing bodies "plan to strengthen information and widen the scope of collaboration in relation to residence authorization to foreigners who play the sport" after SEF has, in the last few months, "identified more than 1,000 illegal footballers." FPF President Fernando Gomes said, "This rule is a defining step between public entities and football agents." Portugal Secretary of State for Sport & Youth Emídio Guerreiro said that illegal footballers "are 'everyone's problem and not just the SEF's,' and should be resolved 'in partnership.'" Guerreiro added that the measure should not "contribute to reducing the opportunity of Portuguese clubs adding foreign players." Guerreiro: "We don't want them not to come. We want to guarantee that they come the proper way so they can achieve their dreams of becoming football players" (LUSA, 6/2).
