Brexit rules add twist as all-island plan backers sell dream in turbulent times

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Email Who would have thought that Nigel Farage and his merry band of flag-waving fearmongers could somehow end up influencing Irish football? On the same day that the Brexiteers were making headlines for their middle-aged stag party in a wine bar-style exit from the European parliament, tech entrepreneur Kieran Lucid was holding court at the Aviva Stadium, giving a series of presentations on his all-island league plans.

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There are many hurdles for this idea to cross, most notably the stated opposition of the IFA and the scepticism of a number of their clubs.

Teams from both leagues are due to continue the latest round of talks with Dutch experts Hypercube in Dundalk today, the key moment of three days of activity.

Brexit would naturally be viewed as a complication to Lucid’s vision but in these curious times for the sport, timing is everything.

There’s been a lot of chat about the implications of Brexit for football on these islands but it’s all starting to become real now. Perhaps there was always a belief that delays might go on or a solution of some kind would appear. But now it seems that academies in the UK are coming around to the realisation that they will not be able to sign youngsters from EU states before their 18th birthday.

All that appears to be up for debate is when that might kick in. One agent has described the broader picture as a «grey area», but the expectation is that a window will exist until the end of 2020.

This has drastic implications for football in Ireland. Kids that turn 16 before December 31, 2020 will be able to leave by the traditional route.

Those who have a birthday afterwards will — it seems — have to stay at home until they are 18 unless FIFA suddenly decide to make a special amendment in their statutes for the UK and Ireland. It’s understood that senior figures in English football have made enquiries and been told not to expect anything to happen, because of the precedent it might set. The assumption, of course, is that the rich and powerful super clubs will find a way around it. Entire families relocating to Manchester or Liverpool or leafy parts of London by a coincidence, with parents miraculously finding new employment.

By all accounts, FIFA are ready to clamp down on this practice. Maybe there’s wiggle room there for the elite stars of a generation, yet it’s hard to see Championship or League One sides having the resources.

This is huge. While plans have been made to improve the League of Ireland at underage level, it’s nowhere near ready to fully capitalise on this moving of the goalposts.

Now there’s a further incentive to catch the attention of government and sponsors wondering about where the game here stands after the FAI’s year of turbulence. Niall Quinn arrived on the scene initially with some curious ideas arising from a laudable aim: the need to create a structure that allows kids to finish their education in Ireland. Should Brexit remove choice from the equation, then it’s not a case of deciding if there’s value in strengthening the foundations of the League of Ireland — the discussion should really be about when that happens. Where does Lucid and his group, which includes Brian Kerr, stand?

An oddity of this situation is that Northern Irish teens will be able to go away as before, but there remains a curiosity from their top clubs about full-time football and the figures laid out by Lucid are selling that dream.

Down in FAI land, where clubs have begun to have a say in decisions, early signs have failed to offer encouragement that they are capable of breaking away from Abbotstown and running things efficiently .

What Lucid and Hypercube have is a commercial plan funded by sponsorships and media and data rights which has been tinkered with on account of northern opposition. A split season with one half as you were and the other containing cross-border action is on the table. Talks with the IFA have produced alternative suggestions too.

Discussions with the new FAI top brass went well too, and further interactions are scheduled.

Brexit’s football angle has added urgency to the uncertainty. Change is coming and now it’s just a question of who is ready for it.