A radical change is expected in British football if it leaves the European Union (EU). Brexit could cause more than 100 foreign Premier League stars to lose their right to compete in the British Isles – hurting the prestige of the top division. Almost half of the English Premier League footballers will have to apply for a work permit.
As long as the UK is part of the EU, players with Eurozone passports can play for English clubs without hindrance. The rest, in order to obtain a work permit in the UK, must have played for their national teams at least 75% of their matches in the past two years.
When the UK leaves the EU, 332 players in the first two divisions of the English Championship, as well as in the Scottish Football League, will no longer meet such criteria, the BBC previously reported. Clubs such as Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Watford will be hit hardest, with 11 players each likely to lose. The Charlton Athletic Club will have to replace 13 players at once.
Moreover, none of the 53 EU players playing in the Scottish Premier League will be eligible for a job based on national team performance alone. The situation is similar in the English League-1 (63 players) and League-2 (46 players).
If the UK leaves the EU, the right to play in the English championship may be lost, including such famous players as N’Golo Kante from Leicester City and Dimitri Payet from West Ham, playing for the French national team.
“In the short term, the blow will be colossal, but in the long term, it can force clubs to focus on homegrown talent,” – quotes the BBC football agent Rachel Anderson.
Today it became known that supporters of Britain’s exit from the EU won the referendum. The referendum is not legally binding, that is, the government can independently decide the fate of the country. At the same time, experts note that British Prime Minister David Cameron himself initiated the referendum, so he will hardly be able to ignore the opinion of the British.
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