On June 23, the UK will go to the polls. The question is whether the kingdom should remain a member of the European Union (EU) and the outcome of the vote could have a major impact on English football.

The so-called “Brexit vote” could result in the UK voting to leave the EU and thus work permit conditions changing.

Currently, everyone from EU countries automatically gets permission to play football on the island of football, while those from countries outside the EU must fulfill a number of conditions to get this permission.

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It was David Cameron who went to the polls in 2015 promising that such a referendum would be held in the UK.

If the UK votes to leave the EU on June 23, this will mean that players from other countries, such as France, Germany, Spain, Norway and so on, will need work permits to play football in the UK.

What will happen to players already at various clubs, if the UK leaves the EU, has not been clarified, but according to several sources, more than 100 players currently based in the Premier League are ineligible for work permits under the current rules. for football on the island.

Work permit?
Of the biggest profiles ineligible for a work permit, we find, among others, Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin. The profiles of N’Golo Kante at Leicester and Dimitri Payet at West Ham were also previously highlighted as players who would struggle to gain work permits, but their involvement with France in the ongoing EC may have changed that situation.

The Telegraph has prepared an overview of 20 clubs in the Premier League over players who will not receive work permits. Look here.

Aston Villa, Newcastle and Watford were highlighted as other clubs that could lose large parts of their squad due to Brexit.

If you look at big and popular clubs like Liverpool, there are also several who do not qualify for work permits under the new rules, including: Alberto Moreno, Emre Can, Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren.

West Ham boss Karen Brady was among those who strongly opposed the UK’s decision to leave the UK and in a letter to a number of other club managers earlier this year, she warned of the consequences that “Brexit” could have.

The letter was reproduced by The Guardian’s main newspaper.

– For football clubs in England, the free movement of labor is very important when it comes to transfers and player contracts. Currently, players from EU (and EEA) countries can join clubs in the UK without having to apply for a work permit or visa. This makes it easier and faster to obtain the greatest talents from other countries in Europe.

– In the Premier League alone, there are over 200 players who will benefit from this scheme and it could have a huge impact on football. An independent report suggests that two-thirds of European players in the UK do not meet work permit requirements and are therefore not allowed to play football here. Losing access to talent from across Europe would be an obstacle to the development of English football, he wrote.

Wenger is skeptical
Brady also emphasized in his letter that “Brexit” could affect his fans. Flight tickets away from the European Cup, for example, will be somewhat more expensive.

– Clubs in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland benefit from our presence in the EU. Both clubs and fans benefit from the legislation and funding we have in place. If we leave the EU it will impact the league. There will be more uncertainty around transfers and setbacks for the next generation of footballers.

But The Guardian stresses that this will work both ways and Brexit will also make it harder for foreign clubs to sign players from the UK, due to the same rules.

Brady isn’t the only one worried about the impact of Brexit on football. In front of major newspaper The Times, Stoke chairman Peter Coates and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger have expressed their concerns.

– We have a lot of concerns about the impact of Brexit, Coates said in an interview with The Times reporter Rory Smith.

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– If the UK leaves the EU, this will raise many questions. Will the French be the same as the South Americans, Wenger wondered.

Immigration lawyer Andrew Osborne told The Times he was confident the British government would not give football special treatment.

– If society votes to leave the EU, and football retains its own rules, this opens up the possibility that other larger and more important industries will also demand this. They will then threaten to cut thousands of jobs if they don’t get what they want. The authorities will not allow that.

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-25 years ago
German star journalist Raphael Honigstein has also looked closely at the consequences of “Brexit” on English football and he also believes that in the long term this could have an impact on the Premier League and European football.

He pointed out that “Brexit” could possibly weaken the value of the Premier League outside England, a value that is now very high, and which is the mainstay of many clubs’ finances through hugely profitable TV deals.

But first and foremost, Honigstein highlights the changes in transition markets as a consequence of “Brexit”.

– A big factor here is how England fare in the EC this summer. A weak recent performance from Roy Hodgson’s squad will probably cause many “Brexit” supporters to again point out that too much emissions in English football is helping to weaken the English national team. With fewer foreign players, there will be less competition for places at clubs and there will be fewer foreign players in the academies of big clubs, which in turn could lead to more Britons coming through the system.

– However, with the new system, transfer fees and salaries of English players will be increased significantly. Clubs in the Premier League will go back 25 years, before the Bosman ruling came into force, he believes.

By now, it is common knowledge that there is near inflation in transfer fees and salaries of English players to some degree, due to a quota system that would ensure that all Premier League clubs have a certain number of homegrown players. players” in their squads. However, as a consequence of “Brexit”, there may be more competition between the biggest clubs for the best players from England.

Read EU expert Paal Frisvold’s blog: Brexit: Norway may become an orphan of the EU

On the other hand, Honigstein pointed out that there are EU rules that prohibit English club managers from implementing salary caps at clubs. If the UK leaves the EU, in theory something like this could be done again. Then the Premier League may lose a number of high-profile stars, but the league itself could still become more profitable than before, he believes.

Believe in the new rules
However, not everyone sees “Brexit” as kryptonite for the Premier League. British football blogger Daniel Geey points out, correctly, that there is currently no guarantee that work permit rules in the UK will be the same if the island kingdom leaves the EU.

Geey also believes that it is unlikely that players who are already under contract with Premier League clubs will be deported without further ado.

He pointed out that after a possible rejection of the EU, it could take up to two years before the UK implements laws and regulations on how to deal with the union. Until there are clear rules on this, Geey doesn’t think the Premier League will pay much attention to “Brexit”.

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– If there is resistance to the EU, I imagine this new law regarding work permits will come into force. The strict regulations that currently apply to players outside the EU and EEA (such as South America and the United States) will probably be maintained, but there may also be lighter solutions for players previously included in the EU quota. There will also be a third category for UK-based players. The final group of players could easily play for any club in England.

– That’s why I don’t think there will be major changes in the Premier League in the short term, but in the long term it may be necessary to draw up a new set of rules around work permits, the blogger continued.

As for the Bosman rule, the rule which states players can change clubs for free at the end of their contract, has always had special status in England. Although outside the island nation it is accepted that clubs negotiate with Bosman players around six months before the end of their contracts, it has been agreed that English clubs cannot select players from other English clubs in this way until close to the end of the contract. . If the UK leaves the EU, in theory it would also be able to abolish the Bosman rules, but Geey says this is unlikely to happen. He believes it is still impossible to say what legal cooperation between the UK and the EU will look like in the period after the UK finally leaves the EU.

Current work permit rules, according to the BBC:

* A player from a country in the top ten of the FIFA rankings only needs to play 30% of international matches before applying for a work permit.

* A player from a country ranked between 11th and 20th must play in 45% of international matches.

*The percentage increases to 60 for the next ten countries, then to 75 for countries ranked 31 to 50

*The decision to withdraw from the EU means players from the 27 countries that are still members of the EU must meet these criteria.