Brandon Fernandes and the Citizenship dilemma
While many of us are undoubtedly anticipating Brandon Fernandes‘ transfer to an EPL or Championship club (as yet unconfirmed), with a trial at Leicester City in progress, there are also a few questions to be answered about him securing a work permit to play in England. The following few paragraphs should solve your conundrum (hopefully!).
Brandon Fernandes was born into a family of Portuguese descent, i.e settled in India during Portuguese occupation of Goa. When India annexed Goa from Portugal in 1961, all Portuguese became Indians, through the Goa, Daman and Diu Citizenship Order of 1962. This rule applied to Fernandes’ family as well.
But the Portuguese law allows for these Goans, and also for people of its former territories, to apply for a Portuguese National Identity Card, also called the ‘Billet de Identidade’. Any Portuguese Goan who was settled in Goa at the time of the annexation and their descendants can apply for this document.
This document is key in the case of Brandon Fernandes. We ought to remember that the ‘Billet de Identidade’ is not a passport in itself. It is a part of the process of getting a Portuguese passport, but also an important document in itself. It can be used as a travel document within the European Union, of which the UK is also a part.
Brandon Fernandes can hold the ‘Billet de Identidade’ and an Indian passport at the same time, which allows him to play anywhere in the European Union without any hassle over a work permit. At the same time, he won’t have to give up on Indian citizenship and the chance to play for the Indian football team.
Brandon Fernandes must consider himself very lucky to be in such a situation, considering the stringent rules applied both by India and the European Union.
Any player from outside the European Union, and wanting to play in the same, needs to apply for a work permit. This is granted if he has played over 75% of his country’s games in the preceding 2 years, for which he was available. Additionally, that country needs to placed in the top 70 places of the FIFA rankings.
Brandon Fernandes satisfies neither criteria, but luckily, doesn’t need to, considering his Portuguese Identity card.
Indian Sports Ministry, on the other hand, had asked all sports federations, way back in 2008 itself, not to select players without an Indian passport.
Many Indian sports persons like tennis stars Neha and Shikha Uberoi, Prakash Amritraj and Sunita Rani thus missed out on the chance to represent the country, as they were either PIOs (Persons Of Indian Origin) or OCIs (Overseas Citizen of India) living in the United States, and the All India Tennis Federation did not consider them for selection.
That rule does not apply to Fernandes once again, as he will to continue to hold an Indian passport. His representation of India at the U-17 and U-19 levels is ample proof of this.
So here’s wishing Brandon all the best for his future, in the hope he lands a contract with an English club soon.
If you have any more questions, feel free to pose them in the comments.