The referendum and Premier League transfers
And Premier League boss Richard Scudamore made it clear in a speech to the Institute of Directors last year that his personal view was that Britain should stay in the EU.
However, the Premier League’s public position is that membership is a matter for voters and it always works with “the government of the day”.
A recent article the Guardian revealed that 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.
It reported that a study into rules governing working visas for elite players suggests that a so-called “Brexit” indicated 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.
A top West Ham insider told ClaretandHugh: “There would be years of transition, but if we vote out many foreign players will not get work permits to play in PL.”