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Claim: Former communications manager of the Liberia Football Association (LFA), Danesius Marteh, has alleged that for one to play in the Premier League, a player’s country must be in the top 100 of the FIFA ranking.
Verdict: Misleading! Playing in the Premier League requires a point accumulation system and an automatic pass if your country is in the first 50 of FIFA’s ranking.
Full Text
Danesius Marteh, former communications manager of the Liberia Football Association (LFA) and now a talk show host on Prime 105.5 FM, has claimed that to play in the English Premier League (EPL), a player’s country must be within the top 100 of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).
Marteh, the co-host of Prime Morning Drive (PMD), made the claim during the show’s Tuesday, September 9, 2025, edition.
The show, which was carried live on the entity’s official Facebook page, generated over 30 comments, more than 20 emojis, and 1k views.
The claim was made between 17:33 and 17:45 minutes/seconds of the over 1-hour live show.
Journalist Marteh said, “It is not every player that goes to the Premier League; there are eligibility rules to play in the Premier League of all the leagues in the world.”
Background
This claim comes a day after the Liberian National team, the Lonestar, drew with opponent Malawi away in the ongoing World Cup qualifier.
This result led to disappointment and frustration among many Liberians in the country’s national team and became a major topic of public discourse across Monrovia and its environs. DUBAWA thought it was necessary to ascertain the fact in the claim since it has gained huge national interest.
Verification
To verify this claim, DUBAWA’s researcher first contacted the claimant via WhatsApp, and the claimant shared some light on his claim with a couple of links that back his assertion.
According to a link the claimant shared with DUBAWA that backs his claim, a Kenyan player moved to Manchester City, which collapsed on grounds that the player failed to meet up with some of the criteria set by the English Premier League, and top among them was that Kenya was outside of the top 70 of the FIFA ranking at the time of signing.
In the case of former football legend and Liberian international soccer icon, George Weah, the Claimant shared a link that explains why Weah was able to play in the Premier League after being signed from AC Milan in 2000
Eligibility criteria for EPL
However, the researcher reviewed the eligibility criteria for foreign players to play in the English Premier League (EPL) and discovered several benchmarks that any foreign player must meet to play in the EPL.
First among the criteria is the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) for any players outside of the United Kingdom (UK), which is obtained by the English Football Association (FA). It is based on a point system.
According to the GBE, the FA considers several factors in accumulating points. It examines the number of international appearances a player made for their country and the level of competition they played in.
According to the GBE, “As a foreign player, you will qualify for the GBE if you have accumulated up to 15 points in your career. If you have also played a certain percentage of minutes for your team, you will also be eligible for an auto-pass, as long as your team is ranked in the top fifty by FIFA.
However, if a player does not meet the GBE criteria, there is an alternative for said player to still play in the English Premier League (EPL).
In 2023, the English FA introduced a new rule that permits Premier League and Championship teams to sign up to four international players who may not meet the standard points threshold for work permits.
Below is a screenshot of an excerpt from the EPL criteria
Conclusion
Based on the research conducted and all of the evidence available, the claim that only players whose countries are within the first 100 of the FIFA ranking can play in the English Premier League is misleading.
