Two thirds of European stars in England wouldn’t meet the criteria used for other overseas players to automatically get a work visa

Dozens of top European stars playing in the Premier League would not qualify for work permits if Britain quit the EU and treated all overseas footballers the same, according to a Guardian analysis.



The study into rules governing working visas for elite players, conducted ahead of an expected referendum on EU membership in the next two years, suggests that a so-called “Brexit” could threaten a 20-year European influx which has arguably made the Premier League the world’s most attractive footballing competition.

It indicates that the European contingent in Premier League squads could be decimated if the UK voted to leave the EU and if the visa rules in place for non-EU players were applied across the board. Visa rules are unlikely to apply retroactively, but could threaten future transfers.



There are 161 players from the EU and European Economic Area (EEA)* in the Premier League. A Guardian study has found that around two thirds would not have met the criteria currently used for non-Europeans to get a work visa automatically.

All 20 Premier League clubs have at least one player who would be affected if these rules were used on the current squads. Sunderland would be left with no goalkeepers, while Swansea would be reduced to just one attacking player. Newcastle would lose six midfielders.

Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Swansea City top the list with nine affected players each, while Crystal Palace are the most insulated against potential changes, with just one affected player.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Manchester City’s Samir Nasri would not meet the criteria for a work visa. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Rules introduced this year by the Football Associaton, with the support of the Home Office, have made it more difficult for non-Europeans to get a work visa. The aim of the new points-based system is to accept only those who have played a certain percentage of games for their country.

Dr Rory Miller, director of the MBA (football industries) programme at the University of Liverpool, said if Britain were to leave the EU and the Home Office were to take a standardised view on players without UK passports, it would “absolutely, inevitably lower the standard”.

He believed any move to restrict European players would be fought by the Premier League, but supported by the FA, which would be happy to see more openings for British players.

“Reducing the number of high quality players in the Premier League will reduce its brand value, particularly to overseas audiences,” said Miller. “I can’t imagine the Premier League would be very happy about that.”

“Where football fans would stand I think is a very difficult situation to envisage. If you support a big club, you don’t want to see them denuded of top European players. Will it have an effect on the England team? I very much doubt it,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Among those European players who would not meet the criteria to get a work visa automatically are Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma and César Azpilicueta; Arsenal’s Héctor Bellerín and Francis Coquelin; Manchester United’s David de Gea, Juan Mata, Morgan Schneiderlin and Anthony Martial; Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala, Jesús Navas and Samir Nasri; Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet; Newcastle’s Tim Krul; Aston Villa’s Charles N’Zogbia; and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet.

Stefan Szymanski, professor of sport management at the University of Michigan and author of Money and Football, said if the restrictions were to go through, it would lead to increased inequality in the league.

“If employment restrictions really did bite, there would be a short supply of top talent and the big teams would be able to dominate even more,” he said.

The FA declined to comment for the story and a spokesperson for the Premier League said: “The Premier League does not have a public position on the UK’s membership of the European Union.”

David Cameron has promised Britons a referendum on continued EU membership by 2017, but the outcome of a Brexit is hard to predict because much would depend on negotiations on the terms of a new relationship between Brussels and the UK.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Spain’s goalkeeper De Gea. Photograph: Eloy Alonso/Reuters

Applying the same rules and principles used for non-EU/EEA workers would be one possible option. In this scenario it could become difficult to justify one rule for football clubs and a different rule for other industries. It would also raise questions as to whether it would be discriminatory to establish one set of rules for Europeans and another for footballers from the rest of the world.

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Szymanski said that if Britain were to leave the EU, he imagined the government would seek to negotiate a good deal for foreign footballers. “We’ve always had immigration rules that have exceptions for highly talented individuals. I can’t imagine any government, no matter how crazy, would want to pour cold water on the Premier League, which is a hugely important export,” said Szymanski.

The impact of any changes on Championship clubs would probably be even greater than on the Premier League, as European footballers in the lower divisions have less international experience.

What are the work visa requirements for footballers?

A new system for assessing eligibility of foreign players for UK work visas was introduced this year by the FA with the support of the Home Office.



The new rules require:

footballers for national associations ranked between 1 and 10 of the FIFA Aggregated World Rankings to have played at least 30% of competitive international matches (FIFA World Cup finals, FIFA World Cup qualifying groups, FIFA Confederations Cup, and continental cup qualifiers and finals (e.g. UEFA European Championships and qualifiers) in the 24 months (or 12 months for players under 21) before the transfer;

footballers for national associations ranked 11-20 of the FIFA Aggregated World Rankings to have played at least 45% of games;

footballers for ational Associations ranked 21-30 to have played at least 60%;

and footballers for national associations ranked 31-50 to have played at least 75%.



Players that meet these criteria are automatically granted a work permit. As of 11 September only 50 out of the 161 European footballers in the Premier League met the criteria.



A player that doesn’t meet these standards, for example one playing for a country ranked outside the top50, such as Poland, can put an application through an exceptions panel at the cost of £5,000 plus VAT.

The panel’s points-based assessment is then made on factors such as transfer fee, a player’s salary and the number of matches played in one of the top six European leagues and in continental competitions such as the Champions League.

Although recommending that an exception be granted – even if a player has enough points – is at the discretion of the panel, most top players, such as Mangala, Mata, Nasri and de Gea, would probably still have received a work permit under the present system. A case could be made for the panel to recommend a work visa to 75 players based on the criteria it uses.

However, there are 36 Premier League footballers, 22% of all European Premier League players, who would have struggled to meet the minimum standards set by the exceptions panel if they were to transfer to England today from their last foreign club.

The new rules are expected to significantly reduce the number of exceptions granted. According to the FA chairman Greg Dyke if this new system were applied retrospectively some 33% of the non-EU/EEA footballers playing in the Premier and Football leagues would not have been granted a work visa based on the last five years of transfers.

Any system would probably not be applied retrospectively. However, this analysis reveals the potential impact on an industry that has become so dependant on European talent.

*Analysis does not include Irish players