FA move to limit foreigners a mixed blessing

The English Football Association’s (FA’s) plans to limit the numbers of foreign players at Premier League clubs could serve as a blow to Percy Tau and other South Africans hopeful of one day featuring in one of the world’s elite leagues.

But if the FA’s plans go through, it could also make it easier for exceptional SA talent to feature in England with the abolishment of work-permit criteria‚ in what will be a doubleedged sword for Bafana stars.

English clubs are allowed to have 17 players from outside the country in squads‚ but this could be slashed to 12 if the FA get their way in a proposal that will be discussed with clubs this week.

Tau is on loan at the Belgian second-tier side Royal Union St Gilloise from Premier League Brighton & Hove Albion‚ who have almost maxed out their foreign quota and also have Israeli forward Tomer Hemed out on loan.

A reduction to 12 players per team would make it that much harder for Tau to win a place in the squad.

The FA are using England’s Brexit‚ in which the country is set to leave the EU in 2019‚ to try pushing for more home-grown players in club squads‚ thereby‚ they hope‚ boosting the pool of players for the national team.

Players from other EU countries such as France‚ Spain and Germany‚ to name just a few‚ do not need a work permit to play in England.

But that could change in 2019 when England leaves the EU‚ potentially putting all players in the same boat as Tau and others from outside Europe.

However‚ the FA appears to be dangling a carrot to English clubs in that if they accept the 12-player limit‚ the FA will push the English government to make a special “governing-body endorsement” that would allow for work permits for every foreign player‚ irrespective of where they are from.

Clubs would still be limited to 12 players‚ but it would get rid of the criteria that made Tau ineligible to take his place in the squad at Brighton in 2018.

So, essentially, SA players would have no limitations in joining English clubs‚ but would have to be among the best 240 foreign players available to English teams globally.

It is debatable whether any current SA player would be that attractive to teams in the Premier League.