PSL

PSL players can now move directly to English Premier League clubs despite Bafana Bafana's low Fifa ranking

Michaelson Gumede
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Rushine De Reuck Percy Tau Teboho Mokoena Bafana
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Bafana Bafana's Fifa ranking will no longer stand in the way of Premier Soccer League players who want to play in England.
  • PSL players can now move straight to the English Premier League
  • Players unlikely to face Percy Tau's work permit struggles
  • Bafana Bafana's low ranking won't stand in the way

WHAT HAPPENED: Starting from the 2023/2024 season, new updates are coming to the transfer rules for Premier League, Championship, League One, and League Two clubs.

Premier League and Championship clubs will have the opportunity to sign up to four players who fall short of the GBE (Governing Body Endorsement) points requirements. Meanwhile, League One and League Two clubs will be permitted to secure a maximum of two such players.

This means Bafana Bafana's Fifa ranking will not be much of a hindrance for players who want to play in Europe. If a national team is ranked in the top 50, players used to get an auto-pass given that they meet a certain percentage of appearances for their country in a period of 24 months. Bafana are currently 66th.

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WHAT WAS SAID: "As English football’s governing body, we oversee the whole football ecosystem, and we wanted to create a new model which would meet the different objectives of our football stakeholders. We worked closely with the clubs and the leagues, and have designed a progressive solution which will give clubs additional access to international talent and incentivize playing opportunities for English talent," FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said as per Latitude Law.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: This new resolution will present players in the Premier Soccer League to move directly to any league in England unlike when Percy Tau signed for Brighton & Hove Albion, he had to wait a while before he could get a work permit in England. The Al Ahly forward joined Brighton in 2018 but was loaned out to Union SG, Club Brugge and Anderlecht in Belgium.

WHAT'S NEXT: The changes will have already been set in motion in the current transfer window. However, the new criteria will however be reviewed throughout the 2023/24 season.

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