BREXIT BLOCKADE
As Bellingham and Sancho thrive ... Brit kids will now have to wait until they are 18 to play abroad Prem clubs face missing out on best European talent
THE Premier League has insisted that Brexit won’t damage its position as Europe’s leading domestic competition.
But, as January 1 approaches, the top clubs across the Channel will be licking their lips at the prospect of English football being on the outside looking in.
By the time Big Ben’s chimes usher in the new year, English clubs will no longer benefit from a FIFA exemption when it comes to the recruitment of Under-18 footballers.
Post-Brexit, U-18 transfers such as Jude Bellingham’s to Borussia Dortmund and Jadon Sancho’s to the same club, will no longer be possible – meaning it is not just clubs, but individual British players that will miss out.
However, the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have no such worries.
And that could be a gamechanger as they look to close the gap and end the Premier League’s era of financial dominance.
The law that enabled Cesc Febregas to come to Arsenal from Barcelona at the age of just 16 will no longer apply.
Manchester United took advantage of the same exemption to sign Paul Pogba from Le Havre back in 2009.
Fabregas has been an outspoken opponent of Brexit since the referendum, telling
journalists at the 2016 European Championships that the UK’s decision to leave the EU would be bad news for football.
“I think it’s damaging for the Premier League,” he said. “It’ll be harder to sign players, the salaries will change. It’s a decision that will create many complications – not just in football, but the daily lives and future of all people.”
The Spaniard has been one of only a handful of footballers to talk openly on the subject.
But it is one that could have a major impact on the sport, as Stephen Weatherill, Jacques Delors Professor of European Law at Oxford University, explained.
“At the start of December, the FA and Premier League announced the rules that will apply to players, to managers and to coaches, in both the men’s and women’s games.
“For players that are hired after January, there are going to be much stricter rules – there are effectively going to be British
END OF UK TEEN EXIT Bellingham and Sancho may be the last exports
players and non-British players. The latter, wherever they come from, will get access to the UK only if they’ve got the requisite number of international appearances. They need to get to the points level under the new migration rules.
“Things will change, but will change gradually, mainly because players who are under contract will remain under contract.
“The big change will come three or four years down the line when existing contracts have run down and purchasing decisions will be dictated by the new rules.
“Then things will look very different. In the U-18 market, the Premier League has effectively been removed from the equation.
“And the absence of bigspending clubs in this market will also push down the prices that Europe’s biggest clubs will have to play for top young EU talent.”
As the dawn of 2021 gets ever closer, the English game is facing up to a very different future.