Beijing Guoan midfielder Nico Yennaris in action during a Chinese Super League game on April 28 Photo: IC

Starting in July, Chinese ­Super League (CSL) teams are no longer required to have at least three under-23 domestic players play in every single league match, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Tuesday.

But the CSL teams are asked to have at least one under-23 footballer playing on the pitch throughout the match, the CFA said in a notice released on Tuesday. 

Any club that contributes an under-23 player to the ­national team will have an exemption not to field U23 players in league matches, reads the new regulation that takes effect from Round 16, which starts in July.

Under previous regulations aimed at giving more pitch time to young players, clubs often brought on U23 players in the dying minutes of a game to avoid punishment from the CFA.

The quota for foreign players appearing in a match is no ­longer related to the total number of under-23 domestic players. 

A maximum three foreigners can be used in one league match, while CSL teams are able to have four foreign players in the squad. 

Any team that violates the regulation will receive a "game abstention," the CFA said, with further punishment pending.

The regulation modification comes as China has started naturalizing foreign players to ­widen up its pool for the ­national team squad. 

Reports suggest that the English player Tyias Browning and Brazilian Ricardo Goulart of Guangzhou Evergrande are among the players considering Chinese nationality. 

Some fans hailed the regulation, saying that having more foreign players in the CSL will invigorate the Chinese top flight, making it more exciting and attracting bigger crowds.

"Naturalizing or not, bringing in more top-tier foreign players will definitely make the league more attractive," a user commented Tuesday on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform. 

The CSL includes Brazilian Oscar of Shanghai SIPG, Belgian Marouane Fellaini of Shandong Luneng and Slovakian Marek Hamsik of Dalian Yifang. 

Beijing Guoan lead the ­Chinese league with 36 points after 13 rounds, trailed by Evergrande and SIPG, both with 31 points.