He shoots, he scores . . . but does the foreign striker with the lethal left foot have the required language skills to cut it in the Premier League?

Foreign footballers from outside the EU will be barred from joining Premier League clubs from October unless they can speak simple English under new immigration rules.

The English test forms part of a points-based system that will cut the number of immigrants entering Britain by about 20,000 a year. But ministers have decided to exempt performers at specific festivals, including Edinburgh, Glyndebourne, Glastonbury, Wimbledon and the London Marathon.

The new rules will apply to all skilled workers — including footballers and managers — from non-EU states. The Government planned originally to insist that they understood English up to GCSE level but this was changed amid fears that it would rule out too many players, such as Manchester United’s Ji-Sung Park, from South Korea, and Carlos Tévez, from Argentina, and Arsenal's Denilson, from Brazil, who have struggled to master the language.

The Home Office document said that workers would need to demonstrate “an ability to understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases, to introduce themselves and others and ask and answer question about basic personal details”.

Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, said: “I am afraid they will have to speak English. We do not want people coming to work alone. We had originally suggested requiring everybody to have English to GCSE level, but a lot of people thought that was going over the top.”

He added: “Footballers earn enough money to pay for professional tuition.”

Would-be immigrants will have to prove to entry clearance officers abroad that they can speak English to the required standard before they are given permission to come to Britain.

Companies wishing to hire immigrants from outside the EU will have to show that they cannot find British workers by advertising the post for up to two weeks. As well as passing the English test, immigrants will have to show that their proposed work is skilled, that they will earn more than £24,000 per year, or are well qualified.

The Home Office suggested that12 per cent of non-European migrants — about 11,000 — who arrived last year under the existing work permit system would have been refused. A further 12,000 would have been kept out under separate rules applied to groups such as sportsmen, performers, charity workers and ministers of religion.

The new rules will not apply to performers coming to named one-off events. They will not require points but will need a newly created “business visit visa”.

Mr Byrne said: “British jobseekers will get the first crack of the whip and then only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come.”

He added: “These rules won’t affect the movement of people in Europe but will create a much tighter regime for anyone who wants to come here from outside Europe.”

Essential English

Understanding familiar expressions
“The referee’s a ******”
“I am gutted, to be fair”

Using familiar expressions
“At the end of the day”
“There’s a great bunch of lads in the dressing-room”

Introducing themselves
“I’m delighted to be joining such a big club”
“I really wanted to play for the gaffer”

Introducing others
“This is my WAG, Chantella. She’s been in celebrity magazines”
“This is my agent, Paulo. He says many clubs are interested in me”

Asking questions about basic personal details
“How much is my signing bonus?”
“Where is the nearest Bentley dealership?”

Answering questions on personal details
“My best position is in the hole behind the front two”
“I have a sponsorship deal with Nike but I’m open to offers”

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