As you probably know, my husband is a professional rugby player and we are now living in France as a result. Thanks to the UK and France’s membership of the EU, my family have benefitted from the provisions in Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) which allow for the free movement of workers within the Union. Should a UK referendum result in the UK leaving the Union, that could have serious implications for English players seeking to ply their trade in France and visa versa.
Aside from the possibility that we may require visas to live and work in France should the UK decide to leave, my husband and his rugby playing colleagues may well face an additional hurdle. In the case of English rugby, the governing body, the Rugby Football Union (the RFU) state that clubs are not allowed to “play or select as a replacement or substitute more that two Foreign Players in any match” (RFU Regulation 13.4.3). A Foreign Player is defined as “a person who can neither prove…that he is entitled to the rights granted under the TFEU…” or that he has European workers rights (RFU Regulation 1 – Definitions). The French governing body, the Fédération français de Rugby (the FFR) have similar provisions.
In practice, this means that unless the UK join the European Economic Area as a non-EU state, the already dwindling appetite for English players in France, will dwindle even further as clubs would become severely limited by the number of Englishmen that they could field in any game. The opportunities for English rugby men would accordingly decrease, and those already in France would have to work that little bit harder, and bleed that little bit more to prove themselves worthy of a spot as a Foreigner.
There are many reasons that I would like the UK to remain in the EU, but for this particular reason, my husband and I will be paying very close attention to what happens back at home.
Ideas of a cartelistic nature 