A court in Reggio Emilio ruled last week that a Nigerian player, Prince Ikpe Ekong, had the right to play for Serie C club Reggiana despite soccer rules that ban non-EU players from playing in the Italian Third Division.

Now Galliani, and a number of leading figures in Italian soccer, are calling for an end to all all the rules limiting the use of non-EU players. Serie A clubs are allowed to register five non-EU players, of whom only three may play in a given match.

'This ruling creates a precedent,' Galliani told Tele Piu television prior to Sunday's match with Atalanta. 'I am convinced that this discrimination has to end.'

Ekong's case was unusual as he had played for Reggiana when they were in Serie B, where one non-EU player is permitted. But Reggiana had been relegated to Serie C by the time he returned from a loan spell with Romanian Second Division club UT Arad and he was blocked from playing.

Judge Stefano Scate ruled that as Ekong had a valid Italian work permit it was unlawful to bar him from carrying out his work for his employers.

The Italian Football Federation and the Italian Football League are expected to meet later this month to discuss the impact of the ruling.

The current restrictions have seen a number of south American players qualify as 'EU players' after gaining passports on the basis of European ancestory.

Two Brazilian players of Serie A club Udinese were recently found to have obtained false Portuguese passports and there are several other investigations into allegations of illegal documentations.

One of those under investigation, Lazio's Argentine midfielder Juan Veron, said he welcomed the outcome of the Ekong case.