Governing Body Endorsement For Overseas Players – How Post-Brexit Criteria Have Impacted Scottish Football

In a previous LawInSport article[1], the new qualifying criteria for the issuing of a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) to non-UK senior male footballers transferring to a club in England, which was introduced as a consequence of the implementation of Brexit in the UK and signalled the end of the free movement of EU workers to the UK, was discussed in detail.

This article considers the new qualifying criteria for the issuing of a GBE for non-UK senior male footballers transferring to a club in Scotland, how the Scottish GBE criteria differs from the criteria applicable to England and the impact, to date, that the new GBE criteria has had on the recruitment of players by Scottish clubs.

It includes:

• Background
• Previous Visa requirements
• GBE criteria for Scotland pre-Brexit
• English sliding scale system
• The New GBE Criteria
• Automatic Pass Criteria
• Points Based Criteria
• Are there any differences between the Scottish GBE criteria and English GBE criteria?
• Points Allocated for Investment
• Exceptions Panel
• Rules For Exceptions Panels in Scotland & England under the new GBE criteria
• What Impact Have Exceptions Panels Had On Scottish Football?
• Conclusion