MODERN football is based upon the principle and structures of being in the EU.
In terms of contracts and freedom of movement, all are predicated on rules drafted up in Europe.
If you want to bring a player in from outside the EU, they have to be performing at the highest level, have played a certain number of international games and secure clearance from both the national association and government.
With the UK set to leave the EU all I can see ahead is a quagmire of doubt and uncertainty. No-one within the game knows what’s happening and what the ramifications will be.
I’d be amazed if there was one club at the top level in Scotland which didn’t have a non-UK player. These rights have been used to good effect over the years and there are so many examples of players coming from all over Europe and enriching the game. Surely this is a good thing.
We’re talking about freedom of movement and choice, of an individual’s career, club and football progression and not being constrained by bureaucratic process.
Freedom of movement has been nothing but positive. The football industry is a big part of the Scottish economy and not just in Glasgow.
In cities like Aberdeen and Dundee it is part of the social fabric, providing employment for God knows how many people.
We’re at risk of setting this back. People talk about the opportunities Brexit may generate and football is said to be one of these. But nothing I’ve read or heard has articulated the merits of leaving the EU when it comes to football.
We’re looking at a potential scenario where the standard of football across Britain will fall.
If we only have British players in our leagues that will impact negatively on the game. It will set the worldwide brand back massively. The huge audience the English Premier League attracts is because it has the best product.
There’s a real danger that will no longer be the case post-Brexit. I’d imagine the bigger clubs will be working on various scenarios around freedom of movement, any new restrictions or impact on the Bosman ruling and trying to fit these into their plans.
The fact is we’re another industry being pushed into the unknown and it’s a very difficult environment to make plans in. Football is fluid at the best of times and when it comes down to player acquisitions clubs are often thinking of two, three, four years in advance.
The sport will be looking for direction from the governing bodies but even here they can’t gazump the domestic laws of the land. Their directions are superceded by whatever the national organisation or EU says.
I don’t imagine there will be a rush in the transfer market either way. It’ll be fairly steady until we’re absolutely sure Article 50 has been triggered and what it will mean. No-one will jump too quickly. I don’t imagine there’s many football clubs out there thinking positively about this scenario we find ourselves in.
Football agent Gerry Carlile’s client list includes Niall McGinn, Kyle Lafferty, Peter Pawlett and Paddy McCourt
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