News and Politics | March 31, 2008 | 3 comments

Foreign footballers face English language test

source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3646515.ece

Image
richjm
Under new immigration rules, foreign footballers and their wives or girlfriends will be forced to take English tests. The move is likely to affect all of the major football clubs, since any player from outside of the EU will need to take the language test in order to qualify for a work permit.

Liam Byrne, a home office minister, said: "If you take sports-people, should we be insisting that absolutely all footballers or indeed England managers should be able to pass an English test before they come in? At the moment I am afraid our proposal is that they should."

Chelsea's Juliano Belletti (pictured) from Brazil, is one of a number of Premiership players said to struggle with English.
  1. groups:
    News and Politics,   Politics,   Sports,   Soccer
  2. tags:
    News and Politics,  Politics,  Sports,  UK,  4 more
  3.     
    |

3 comments // Foreign footballers face English language test

  • jlaboy
    • 0
      jlaboy  

    • Sounds fair enough. It's a Free market goverment. Sterling is strong, and besides, most of these players will be able to afford it, as an investment is just depositing money into a bank. The UK soldiers on.

    • 3 years ago
  • richjm
    • 0
      richjm  

    • "All applicants will have to pass an English test - unless they have £1 million or more to invest."

      Wow... so the rules apply unless applicants have enough money to buy their way in?

    • 3 years ago
  • abbym0308
    • 0
      abbym0308  
    • Image

    • According to this article, the mandatory english tests are part of the new immigration points system which is designed to attract people with lots of money or who are highly qualified and will be a boost to the economy. "All applicants will have to pass an english test - unless they have £1 million or more to invest."

      If this is the system, then footballers should have to comply as well. I'm not sure I like the new points system. What do you think?

    • 3 years ago
more from News and Politics:
from the community

top videos