Brexit: How Britain leaving the EU could affect the Premier League

A few days back, as the European Union referendum vote approached, David Beckham declared himself for the “Remain” camp. Beckham, who also played in France, Spain and Italy during his career, said the remarkable Manchester United team built by manager Sir Alex Ferguson was more successful because of the eclectic mix of Europeans who contributed to its triumphs. Beckham’s former Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand also followed him, declaring for Remain. This came days after the Premier League (all 20 clubs) said a departure from the European Union would go against the “openness” of the league and all of its clubs. [caption id=“attachment_2854052” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Things for the Premier League are about to change after Brexit. Reuters[/caption] “Nobody bears the scars more than me of having to go and negotiate in Brussels and try and organise things a little bit in our interests in terms of the European machine,” Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore told BBC radio. “There is an openness about the Premier League which I think it would be completely incongruous if we were to take the opposite position,” he added. But on Friday, the Britain decided to leave the EU, with 51.9 percent of the population voting in favour of Brexit. As Britain scrambles to find its footing in the days ahead, how the decision will affect the football scene in the country is speculative. According to report by the BBC ,  the Premier league would be “radically changed”. First off, as per the current regulations, that European footballers would need work permits, as those from outside the continent currently do, to play in the country. Under the current criteria for non-EU players, which require players to have played in a certain percentage of their national team’s matches, more than 100 Premier League players would have failed to have gained a work permit, reports The Telegraph . “It is important that if we want the best league in the world then we remain in the EU,” football agent Jonathan Barnett told told the newspaper. According to a leading sports immigration lawyer, some European players may no longer be able to play in the Premier League following the Brexit, although it is likely to be several years before the effects are felt, reports SkySports . If the British Home Office rolls out current immigration rules for Europeans, a player from a FIFA top-10 nation will have to have played in 30 per cent of their games in the two years prior to the date of application to be granted a work permit. Nation ranked 11-20 must have played in 45 percent, 21-30 60 percent and 75 percent for nations ranked 31-50. Of the current players playing in the league, Dimitri Payet, N’Golo Kante and Anthony Martial do not meet these requirements. Brexit wold also likely cause the sterling (£) to be weaker as well as less investment from overseas companies taking advantage of the UK’s access to the free EU trade market. This would increase the price of signing players from overseas for Premier League clubs, reports Goal . Leading British football agents have also claimed that transfer fees for home grown players like Harry Kane and Dele Alli could increase by as much as 40 percent if new regulations were introduced, reports ESPN . “Whatever new regulations are brought in following a British EU exit, one thing for sure is that top British players would become more expensive,” football agent Sky Andrew said. The Premier League generated £3.3 billion (4.3 billion euros, $4.8 billion) of revenue last season, according to a report by Deloitte, and has worldwide television contracts worth £8.3 billion. But there are many who believe that the restriction on the inflow for foreign players in English leagues will promote the inclusion of homegrown talent. “EU rules hurt both our ability to develop homegrown talent and restrict access to the global talent pool. That’s the worst of both worlds for football fans and the teams they support,” vote Leave spokesman Robert Oxley said, adding that money saved from paying into the EU budget could be spent on encouraging more grassroots sports.