How is it blinkered thinking? Football is a very public sport and the clubs should have the final say over who stays and who goes.
Immigration is in place for public safety, public health, to protect jobs and national security. Footballers breach none of those - they're as safe as any British citizen would be (generally), they have medical checkups before they join their respective clubs, they walk straight in to a job and they're hardly a threat to the country now, are they? Not to mention that with this 50% tax bracket, they're giving back to the country much more than they take.
I agree that the government should be keeping an eye on immigration, but when it goes so far that they decide who the talent is... well, that's ridiculous.
It's blinkered because you're willing to change rules for your own personal gain without thought of the consequences. Your second sentence proves this because you make a massive assumption based purely on a choice of profession. Stating that footballers are no threat to public health, public safety or national security is hilarious, I didn't know that people who are a threat to public health, public safety or national security had recognised career paths.
Consider the word exceptional, it is ambiguous and subjective therefore a case could be made for any young player based on virtually no performances or evidence to back your decision. So the question would then arise at what level do you allow self governance, premier league only? How would that be fair to exclude your competitors from this advantage you would clearly have, football at the end of the day is a business. Then consider who can purchase a football club, what laws are in place to protect us from giving this power to someone with less than perfect moral standing?
Wanting to change these rules is nothing more than self serving and completely irrational, if you have a problem with who the government choose as exceptional then it can easily be argued that they should consult recognised experts in the field. For all I know they already do, but to suggest this decision be made by the club themselves is born from frustration and not rational thought.
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