Experts and leading voices in football said that British football could be "radically changed" if the U.K. votes to leave the European Union, according to Matt Slater of the BBC. Some "fear so-called Brexit could lead to more than 400 players losing the right to play" in the U.K., while others say "it may give home talent a chance." The U.K. will decide if "it wants to stay in the EU in a referendum" on June 23. Football agent Rachel Anderson said, "Leaving the EU will have a much bigger effect on football than people think. We're talking about half of the Premier League needing work permits." Players with an EU passport "are currently free to play" in the U.K. Those without "must meet Home Office criteria, the most important being that they are established internationals for leading nations." Analysis of squads in the first two tiers in England and the Scottish Premiership has revealed a total of 332 players "would fail to meet the current standards." More than 100 Premier League players "would be affected." West Ham Vice-Chair Karren Brady, the face of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, has already written to club bosses throughout the U.K. warning them a vote to leave would have "devastating consequences." Premier League CEO 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, the world's largest trading bloc." However, the Premier League's public position is that EU membership is a matter for voters and it always works with "the government of the day." What everybody agrees on, though, is that British football "would be in for a period of flux as new rules were decided and clubs rebalanced their squads." Agent Simon Bayliff said, "This could be a positive thing for home-grown players in the longer term. The downside could be the value of the Premier League decreasing, as its attraction is the collection of foreign stars across many clubs" (BBC, 3/31).
