Apparently it's possible to go over limit by "combining" detection and scouting. Looks like the players who are offered contract in detection are not counted in number of players in academy when sending scout.

I’ve released a few, so I'm already below the limit,but I'm curious if this is a bug or "intended" behavior.

If it's not a bug, topic can be closed immediately.

Really? But it's always mattered to me

Cheat!

... just kidding