Gallagher’s transfer shows even the Premier League cannot be insulated from Brexit

Conor Gallagher has used his Irish passport so that Atletico Madrid did not have to use up one of the just two non-EU berths it has in its squad. Reuters

At this time of year, the news diaries of Europe tend to be thin, but one standby is the end-of-the-month deadline for club transfers of professional footballers.

I’ve written before about the importance of the Premier League to the UK as a strategic asset. For all the great sums of money involved, and sometimes scandalous behaviour of those at the heart of the game, it is a barometer of the UK’s standing in the world.

That is why last week’s transfer of the Chelsea player Conor Gallagher should be seen as a window into something wider than football.

Securing the midfielder’s move to the Spanish club Atletico Madrid involved getting around Brexit, which demonstrates the self-harming consequences of Britain’s decision to leave the EU more than eight years ago.

There is a not-so-distant alternative universe that amuses Irish football fans: Gallagher, Declan Rice, Harry Maguire and England captain Harry Kane could all be part of the Republic of Ireland team. This is through Irish parents and the passport entitlement laws.

Of course, all of those players are English, have a variety of that country’s accents and have worn the Three Lions emblem in international competitions. Yet last week, Gallagher used his Irish passport so that Atletico Madrid did not have to use up one of the just two non-EU berths it has in its squad.

Looked at objectively, Gallagher was more employable because he had this shared right – as an Irish passport holder – to work across the EU.

In a world where individuals seek advancement and friction-free lifestyles, this ranks as an unwanted setback for many in the UK. That is why not just those of Irish heritage but other nationalities, say Italians, are also seeking second passports.

The Irish passport office nominally serves an island with a combined population of seven million, but since Brexit it has faced increased demand. Last year, almost one million passports were issued. With DNA tests now being accepted for Irish passports, it is likely that UK-based requests will continue to grow.

It isn’t just highly priced footballers who benefit; professionals and others seeking work can obviously do so, too. I can think of several British officials, including a few ambassadors, who stayed on the European Commission payroll with other passports.

The fate of musicians since the 2020 departure of the country from the EU shows what it is to miss out. Much of the income in the business now comes from festivals. Many of the British acts might still be popular around Europe, but their dominance at big festivals across the continent has receded.

The issue of non-EU nationality is not the only sticking point. Outside the EU, for example, performers – as well as technical staff, public relations executives and those offering other services – need a tax certificate.

Then there are, as Politico reported last week, issues such as border delays and the need for carnets (a form of passport for instruments) that add to the performers’ burden. Spontaneous gigs are nearly impossible, it also reported. And a survey of the Independent Society of Musicians said that 73 per cent of the bands had lost work because of the set-up.

The Labour government has promised not to reverse Brexit, but it is already caught in the Brexit trap of trade-off – should it seek to pursue new ways of making EU-UK interactions easier.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that work has already begun for a reset of ties with Europe. But last week, Downing Street rejected an EU offer that would make it easier for people aged between 18 and 30 to study and work between the UK and EU. This is despite Mr Starmer reportedly discussing the idea with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier in the summer.

British passport holders, meanwhile, face the prospect of having to pay for a £7 (nearly $8) EU visa waiver from next summer. This is yet more friction for travellers.

There are many ideas about how to get round the bottlenecks thrown up by Brexit.

A commission looking into the situation has recommended visa waivers for musicians and cultural workers (although perhaps not sports stars). Or there is a proposed EU “List of Travellers’ Scheme” so that the UK can promote cultural exchange and tourism while making it easier for EU students to visit the country for educational purposes.

Many of the arguments around Brexit fall into political or economic camps. But the human impact is frankly overshadowed.

Geography matters. It is not enough to repeat former prime minister Boris Johnson’s hoary reassurance that Britain may have left the EU, but it has not left Europe. Ukraine and the British role in rallying support for Kyiv showed that at a geopolitical level. So, too, does the expanding defence co-operation with Germany or Italy this year.

Gallagher’s plight, and that of the many music bands, also shows that there are issues that are not going away and must, therefore, be resolved.

To not do so makes little sense. It would be like all those established footballers wearing the green of Ireland, in order to play in major competitions, while England makes do with understudies.