The spectre of Brexit has lingered for a number of years since the seismic United Kingdom referendum result of 2016 which produced a narrow majority in favour of leaving the European Union.
It served to shatter the political vista that once laid before the people and the fallout has been particularly toxic, with concerns filtering through all layers of British society, including that of professional football.
Save for the odd expression of dissent from individuals such as Neil Warnock, Premier League clubs have, for example, been unanimous in their opposition to Brexit, worried that it will affect their business.
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But it’s not just the machinations of clubs that will potentially be affected by Brexit – supporters could well find their enjoyment of the game disrupted. Goal takes a look at how.
Will Brexit affect UK football fans going to Europe?
The outworking of Brexit, if it happens, could potentially have a negative consequence on football fans wishing to travel to Europe to watch their favourite teams play in the Champions League and other competitions.
That’s because, if followed through to completion, UK citizens will no longer be EU citizens and as a consequence will be treated slightly differently when travelling in the EU.
For example, UK nationals will no longer be permitted to pass through EU/EEA/CH border crossing points and their passports will need to be valid for at least three months after they plan to leave the EU.
They could also find themselves subject to additional checks and faced with questions regarding their visit.
However, these sorts of restrictions will not come into effect until after the ‘transition period’ which will follow the official date of Brexit. The transition period will last approximately a year.
The actual official date of Brexit, of course, has been changeable. It was initially set at March 29, 2019, then October 31, 2019 before being extended to January 31, 2020.
Even the latest withdrawal date is not necessarily fixed and will depend on the outcome of the British general election on December 12, 2019.
So, in summation, if Brexit happens UK football fans will still be able to travel to European countries such as France, Spain and Italy to watch games, but they will do so as non-EU citizens.
The best thing to do, given how unpredictable the situation appears to be, is to stay informed by regularly checking official governmental websites before travelling.
Will Brexit affect European football fans going to the UK?
EU citizens travelling to the UK to watch UEFA competition matches, Premier League games or international fixtures will be able to continue visiting without issue.
There will be no need for EU citizens to apply for a visa to enter the UK and they will be allowed to cross into the UK for short trips – such as going to a game – with a valid passport or national identity card.
However, how things develop will depend on how exactly the UK leaves the EU, that is, with or without a deal.
If the country departs with a deal it should be noted that nothing will change until 2021, at which point national identity cards of EEA nationals (EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) will no longer be accepted.
There is an exception for EU citizens who began living in the UK before December 31, 2020 and have ‘settled status’. They will be able to use national ID cards until December 31, 2025 at least.
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If the UK leaves with no deal it will largely be the same, but ID cards of EEA nationals will not be acceptable from a point in 2020.
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