Brexit will affect all areas of society, especially Britain, but generally across Europe.The measures proposed to carry it out will provoke an earthquake of different magnitudes depending on the UK sports. Some, such as football, Formula 1 or tennis, may change radically. Here is how in detail.
Football
The Premier League, one of the best leagues in the world, will be seriously damaged. One of the first consequences will be the reduction of foreign players in the squads in favour of national ones.
This battle has been going on for some time now between the English Football Association (FA) and the league itself, which refuses to accept the proposal to reduce the number of foreigners per team to 12 or 13, from the current 17. This first scenario would affect, for example, Manchester City.
Another problem that the Premier League will face will be the fall of the pound, which will affect television contracts. The difficulties in accessing the English league would compensate for this increased power of the Premier League squads, so the other four major leagues (LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) will inevitably be revalued.
The third scenario in which the Premier League will be affected has to do with players from the youth teams of European clubs. Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players only allows for the transfer of underage players between the ages of 16 and 18 within the European Economic Area, which means that cases such as that of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin could not happen again.
Fans also fear that they will no longer be able to accompany their teams. Until now, British fans, provided they are not included in the list of ‘hooligans’, travelled without problems throughout the territory of the EU. Thus, accompanying their teams in the Champions and Europa League.
Footballer transfers would become more expensive. As if the inflation that Premier League clubs generate in the transfer market were not enough, Brexit will put even more pressure on the price of transfers. If labour laws restrict the number of players that Premier League clubs can employ, the price of future stars will become more expensive once Brexit is complete.
It remains to be seen what position FIFA and UEFA will take, especially in terms of the participation of British clubs in their competitions and how this will leave them in the international football area.
Formula 1
Formula 1 will be another of the sports most affected by the UK’s departure from the EU. From hiring foreign employees due to new immigration laws, to equipment or the trade in technical patents. Many teams are based in Great Britain, 6 in particular, and others, such as Toro Rosso, have their aerodynamic base there. Even Pirelli, the tyre supplier, operates from Slough.
It is estimated that 4,200 direct jobs out of 6,500 Formula 1 employees are on British soil, which will be a major problem when it comes to managing a possible move to another location. It’s chaos for F1.
Tennis
The ATP, which is based in London, would not be affected by the format. The main tournaments played on British soil, such as Wimbledon or Queens, are not, as they fear that their prizes will be devalued due to the collapse of the pound and that will discourage some of the stars of the circuit.
Motorcycles
The motorcycle world championship would not be much affected. Despite having a Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Motorcycle World Championship is not in danger. The main teams in the premier class, MotoGP, are based in other countries such as Italy (Ducati, Aprilia), the Netherlands (KTM) and Japan (Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki).
Horse Races
One of the most classic sports in the UK will change its philosophy due to Brexit. Immigration laws or those concerning the transport of animals between the UK and Europe could lead to a stagnation in its development, as foreign capital investments will be drastically reduced.
