Derry City Football Club have said post-Brexit transfer rules have created difficulties in signing non-British and non-Irish players and are calling for the process to be streamlined.
The Candystripes, who are second in the League of Ireland Premier Division, have not signed a player outside of the UK and Ireland since February 2019 because of restrictive immigration rules.
Former Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom was unveiled as Derry City's latest signing this week in the final days of the transfer window for unsigned players.
Club manager Ruaidhrí Higgins said while they are "obviously restricted" they are not complaining.
"We have people in the background working extremely hard on this. Hopefully a resolution can be found," Higgins said.
Derry City need a work permit from the UK Home Office for international players.
A permit is awarded on a points-based system as part of the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) Criteria Points Based System.
The GBE system requires that players secure 15 points to get a pass mark.
Players are assessed on international appearances, domestic minutes played, continental minutes played, continental progression, final league position and league quality.
"We haven’t got anybody through this process," says Derry City Technical Director Mark McChrystal,
He said the GBE Criteria Points Based System is probably "aimed towards real top end players," adding that if it became "more streamlined" that it would help the club and the league.
Mark McChrystal says anything to do with players coming to the north involves the Irish FA (Northern Ireland’s football association) and the UK Home Office.
"There’s a case for everybody to be involved and see where we can go with it," he said.
A Home Office spokesperson said they "work closely" with the Irish FA to set the criteria for professional footballers coming to play in Northern Ireland and that this criterion is "reviewed annually after thorough consultation between the Irish FA and their stakeholders."
The spokesperson added that the Irish FA are "responsible for reviewing a player’s eligibility to play in the League of Ireland Premier Division and where requirements are not met, the endorsement application will be refused."
A spokesperson for the Irish FA in Belfast acknowledged that visa and work permit requirements when signing players from outside the UK and Ireland became more restrictive for international players post-Brexit.
They added that while this presents challenges in recruiting talent from abroad, "immigration laws take precedence over football regulations and apply uniformly across Northern Ireland, regardless of a club's competitive circumstances."
The FAI told RTÉ News that they have been in dialogue with Derry City FC on a regular basis and are assisting the club with all Brexit-related matters at both Academy and Senior Level.
They added that the matter is one for the UK Home Office to address and the FAI "has no power to overrule the legislation preventing EU citizens from signing for Derry City FC".
Derry City FC joined the League of Ireland's First Division in the 1985-86 season.
The club has won the League of Ireland Premier Division twice, the FAI Cup six times and the League of Ireland Cup 11 times.
Other clubs in the League of Ireland Premier Division and First Division can sign players from the UK, EU or anywhere that doesn’t require a work permit.
They are allowed to sign four work permit players who meet FAI criteria.
