The Spanish Football Federation have revealed African players will no longer be classed as non-European Union workers in the Primera Liga.
The RFEF made the ruling in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement, a treaty signed in Benin in 2000 by members of the EU and a group of 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific states.
The agreement stipulates that nationals from those countries working legally in Europe should have the same rights as EU citizens.
In many European countries, football clubs are prevented from selecting more than three non-EU players in each match, but the RFEF's new ruling, which was made following consultation with FIFA and UEFA, means that will no longer be the case in La Liga.
"From now on players from these countries that play in Spain will be considered as coming from the European Union as will those that sign in the future," said RFEF spokesman Jorge Carretero.
Among the players affected by the RFEF's ruling are Barcelona duo Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon) and Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Real Madrid's Mahamadou Diarra (Mali) and Sevilla striker Arouna Kone (Ivory Coast).
