English FA is seeking tougher rules for work permits

Not sure how i feel about this.

FA Chairman Greg Dyke wants to lower the non home grown count in a 25 man squad from 17 down to 13 and also adjust the definition of home grown to where a player would need to be registered 3 years before he is 18.

Here is an excerpt on how the work permit rules would tighten.

The new work permit rules, which apply across the whole Football League, will see prospective non-EU players given points for various criteria including the agreed transfer fee and wages, international caps, and the level of league and club they are joining from.

The player must be an international from a country ranked in FIFA's top 50, rather than the top 70 as it is currently, and the number of caps required will be staggered depending on the country's status.

Players from countries ranked in the top 10 will have to have played in 30 percent of international matches over the past two years while that figure rises to 75 percent for countries ranked between 31 and 50.

There will also be leeway given to players under the age of 21, who are assumed to be less established at international level and therefore need only fulfil the caps criteria for the last 12 months.

The changes are aimed at ending clubs' reliance on a lenient appeals system that has granted approval to 79 percent of its applicants, and ensuring only the most talented non-EU players ply their trade in this country.


The FA calculate that 33 percent of players who gained entry under the old rules would have been turned down under the new system.

Thoughts?