Football the only future for young in a post Brexit world? - YEP letters

James Bovington, HorsforthDespite having had the honour of being the form tutor of an excellent student and Leeds lad who has played for the England team and who now plays for Liverpool, I am at best ambivalent about football.
Will football be the future for post Brexit Britain's young talents? Picture Tony Johnson.Will football be the future for post Brexit Britain's young talents? Picture Tony Johnson.
Will football be the future for post Brexit Britain's young talents? Picture Tony Johnson.

However, I note that Leeds are welcoming young French player Illan Meslier and teenage wonderboy Jude Bellingham is keen to join the team in our German twin city Dortmund.

I wish both these young men well. I hope that they gain much, linguistic, social and cultural as well as sporting benefit from their moves to teams in other European countries.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They are also lucky to be able - owing to the high salaries that they will undoubtedly receive - to continue to enjoy the life-enhancing benefits of freedom of movement which Tory Mrs Priti Patel so callously and casually enjoyed removing from the rest of us - unless we are lucky enough to secure an Irish passport.

So have I understood correctly?

A-level students of French or German who work hard to learn the language and study the literature are deprived of the opportunity to live and work in those countries but footballers can still move about freely. At the risk of being an intellectual snob this seems bizarre and unfair. The serious point to my question is that now that the isolationist Tories have ended freedom of movement just what replaces it as a goal for hard-working young linguists? Football?

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.