GREEN ROOM
Plan for life after Brexit in English game
ENGLISH football has taken a significant step towards delivering life after Brexit.
Discussions have taken place between the game’s governing bodies over what overseas players home clubs will be allowed to sign.
The finer details of a pointsbased system are now being pored over as the Premier League and FA attempt to broker a deal.
There is still one major hurdle to overcome between the two parties – the number of homegrown players allowed in first-team squads. And this is proving difficult to resolve.
But a consensus appears to have been reached over the criteria needed for foreign players to be granted a green card.
It will depend on the number of full international caps the player has, along with the quality of league he is transferring from and the level of competition he has played in.
So the likes of an established international, currently playing in Serie A or the Bundesliga and boasting Champions League experience, will be recommended for employment.
Those on the fringes in the second tier of their domestic competition without any European game time are unlikely to receive sufficient points to qualify.
The nationality of the player is not considered to be of paramount importance, with the controls over the quality of import given priority.
That move will be especially welcomed by the FA, who have been concerned for some time about the pathway for young homegrown players.
Solution
The game’s power-brokers are inching towards a solution that will be presented to the Home Office as their recommendation for the future employment of footballers in this country
– and those proposals then need to be ratified by the government.
The UK’S decision to leave the EU has left the game in the difficult position of reworking its visa requirements.
Before, anyone with a passport from an EU country automatically had the right to work here. That no longer applies under new Home Office regulations.
The two major forces in this country, the Premier League and the FA, have been at loggerheads over the criteria they want to apply.
The Premier League wants to retain the right of member clubs to bring in the best talent from around the globe.
But the FA is trying to protect the future of the England team and make sure as many young players as possible are fielded in the elite leagues to ensure a conveyor-belt of talent for Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate (below) to choose from.
This quota of home-grown players is a major sticking point between the two and there is still distance between them.
The latest information suggests that the Premier League want at least 14 home nationals in a squad of 25, while the FA want dispensation for three more.
An FA spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work with the Premier League, EFL and a range of government departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Home Office and the Treasury, during this consultation period.”