Eligibility proposal

[eelmonster]

Sorry Geysir. Thought Harry Clarke sounded odd.

Just grabbed the name from the previous poster which at least shows I'm no worse at copying and pasting freely accessable info than this particular professional correspondent.

Sorry Lionel, I must have been blinded the light shining through one of Harry's windows.

[liaml]

If this is true it is fantastic news. If the IFA agree to this it'll be the first sign they're actually serious about sweeping away the baggage of the past and setting themselves up as an inclusive organisation that represents both traditions in the North. Heck - I may actually catch a game or two at the Maze.

-Liam

[elroy]

If this is true it is fantastic news. If the IFA agree to this it'll be the first sign they're actually serious about sweeping away the baggage of the past and setting themselves up as an inclusive organisation that represents both traditions in the North. Heck - I may actually catch a game or two at the Maze.

-Liam

This is bad news for them in fairness, very unlikely anyone from the south would declare to play for the north whereas there is a good chance that there will be more footballers like Gibson in the future who will elect for ROI. Fair rulling and from a ROI perspective very much welcomed.

[paul_oshea]

Geysir, 2 united ireland teams.

FIFA dont want to make a change to their rules as it opens a can of worms. By this agreement they are keeping every as is.

I would say there was influence from somewhere on this, its essentially the allusion of an all-ireland team in the future. Think about it.

[micls]

If it is agreed on it kinda brings the question 'What's the point of 2 teams' to the fore. Without having different pools of players to choose from what makes the teams different?

[NeilMcD]

Geysir, 2 united ireland teams. There was definitely influence from somewhere on this, its essentially the allusion of an all-ireland team in the future. Think about it.

Is there going to be one player that is born in the Republic and wants to play for the North.

[micls]

Is there going to be one player that is born in the Republic and wants to play for the North.

Probably not but there'l be plenty who consider it if theyre not good enough for the Republic and are wanted by NI

[paul_oshea]

Jawdropping !
Harry Clarke? Ahem Ahem

try
Henry McDonald

Probably not but there'l be plenty who consider it if theyre not good enough for the Republic and are wanted by NI

exactly.

Then what happens? go on go another step....

[backstothewall]

Has anyone thought a little deeper about this "compromise"? i certainly do...

I have, have to say i think its a great step forward

1 - It will make the dynamics of an all-ireland side a lot easier

2 - It make NI an Ireland B side for lower league players who couldn't make it for the 1st team. The likes of Lee Trundle and Paul Heffernan might find their way into NI squads, and no great loss

3 - It means we are effectively no longer ROI, but "Ireland"

4 - It opens the way to the FAI playing some home games in Belfast

5 - As there will be a choice for every underage player on his 21st birthday, there is little point in having 2 U16, U18 or U21 setups. The finances will mean they could well be merged.

[co. down green]

Was getting whispers about this over a week ago, but thought it was best to say nothing until FIFA commented.

The FAI statement this evening said:

"We are pleased that Fifa has once again upheld the principle that players born in Northern Ireland should be free to choose whether they wish to play for the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland," said an FAI statement.

Its basically the same as the letter from FIFA in October 06.

Sensible ruling from FIFA.

Looking forward to travelling to Cardiff with my fellow countrymen next weekend

[NeilMcD]

I have, have to say i think its a great step forward

1 - It will make the dynamics of an all-ireland side a lot easier

2 - It make NI an Ireland B side for lower league players who couldn't make it for the 1st team. The likes of Lee Trundle and Paul Heffernan might find their way into NI squads, and no great loss

3 - It means we are effectively no longer ROI, but "Ireland"

4 - It opens the way to the FAI playing some home games in Belfast

5 - As there will be a choice for every underage player on his 21st birthday, there is little point in having 2 U16, U18 or U21 setups. The finances will mean they could well be merged.

Sorry but this changes nothing really, and I think your post is deeply offensive to any of the Northern Irish fans as well as being ignorant. What about guys who are top class and they want to play for Northern Ireland, how does that make it a B Team. It is still Northern Ireland at teh end of the day.

[geysir]

Geysir, 2 united ireland teams.

Yes indeed, united Ireland teams.
Ireland A and Ireland B

[Superhoops]

Was getting whispers about this over a week ago, but thought it was best to say nothing until FIFA commented.

The FAI statement this evening said:

"We are pleased that Fifa has once again upheld the principle that players born in Northern Ireland should be free to choose whether they wish to play for the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland," said an FAI statement.

Its basically the same as the letter from FIFA in October 06.

Sensible ruling from FIFA.

Looking forward to travelling to Cardiff with my fellow countrymen next weekend

The FAI statement this evening also said:
The FAI will now meet with its legal advisors to review in detail the proposals contained in the FIFA letter before formulating a response.

This makes it sound like while the principle is agreed, the application of it has strings attached and is not that straightforward.

If it was straightforward why would the FAI need to be meet its legal advisors before responding. Sounds like they may be considering challenging the application of the ruling in the European Court of Human Rights.

[geysir]

Why not get legal advice?
FIFA are sticking to article 15, the Annex conditions do not apply.
There is a question because Irish passport holders are not citizens of NI (if there is such a thing) so how can they play for NI according to article 15 ?
There is a legal question.
What FIFA are saying is that under FIFA's rules that 2 associations can make an agreement and FIFA rubberstamp it and add it in to the Articles as an addendum.

FIFA have signed up to the Court of Arbitration in Sport so any disputes end up there.

[charliesboots]

It seems a bit bizarre to me that a guy born in England, with English parent, three English grandparents and one grandparent born in Cork say may now qualify to play for Northern Ireland.

Anybody else find that strange?

I mean surely nationality should have an element of identity to it. A lot of people born and living in the north identify themselves as Irish rather than Northern Irish. How many people born and living in the south identify themselves as Northern Irish?

[gspain]

Good news for us but clearly bad news for NI. I can't see the IFA agreeing.

This one could run and run.

[charliesboots]

Why not get legal advice?
FIFA are sticking to article 15, the Annex conditions do not apply.
There is a question because Irish passport holders are not citizens of NI (if there is such a thing) so how can they play for NI according to article 15 ?
There is a legal question.
What FIFA are saying is that under FIFA's rules that 2 associations can make an agreement and FIFA rubberstamp it and add it in to the Articles as an addendum.

FIFA have signed up to the Court of Arbitration in Sport so any disputes end up there.

Spot on Geysir, I was thinking that myself.

[backstothewall]

Sorry but this changes nothing really, and I think your post is deeply offensive to any of the Northern Irish fans as well as being ignorant. What about guys who are top class and they want to play for Northern Ireland, how does that make it a B Team. It is still Northern Ireland at teh end of the day.

The reason they are a B team is because they have been consistently performing below ROI since 1987, recent times excluded, and that was with us at our lowest ebb, and NI flying

And who are these top class players?? Of the NI side the only player i would start in an all ireland 11 is George McCartney, and Healy would make the bench. (although the way Robbie is playing)

All this at out lowest ebb

They are a no mark team, who have achieved little or nothing of note since Pat Jennings picked the 3rd out on his 41st birthday. It was only a few years ago i heard Alan Greene, who is from Belfast (even if he is an arse), include them with Andorra, Malta and San Marino as countries he didn't think should even be allowed to play qualifiers for major tournaments.

If the FAI market this decision right NI can be marginalized and middle class unionists can be enticed to Croke Park to see Ireland play Brazil. They already flock down to the 6 nations

If the FAI want to play this right, The should always now refer to themselves as Ireland, adopt Irelands call as the anthem, announce plans to play in Belfast at some point, and appoint a northerner as new manager.

To quote a movie...

We must act as if the Republic is a fact. We defeat the British Empire by ignoring it.

And for the record i'm not really worried about offending the IFA or their fans. They have attempted to deny me my birth right. I don't see what could be considered offensive though. It is only a mater of time before a talented Protestant Irishman from the north declares for the FAI because he gets a greater chance to play on the greatest stage of all. And once one does dozens more will follow.

the biggest obstacle to this is the hangers on who don't want the gravy being split more ways

[NeilMcD]

It seems a bit bizarre to me that a guy born in England, with English parent, three English grandparents and one grandparent born in Cork say may now qualify to play for Northern Ireland.

Anybody else find that strange?

I mean surely nationality should have an element of identity to it. A lot of people born and living in the north identify themselves as Irish rather than Northern Irish. How many people born and living in the south identify themselves as Northern Irish?

I think bascially they are saying because people in the north feel like they want to play for the Republic that it cant just be a one way street. We have taken advantage or disadvantage of a situation like the one you say above with Alan Kernaghan.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Sorry Lionel, I must have been blinded the light shining through one of Harry's windows.

Oh I didn't mean you eelmonster! I meant Henry or Harry or Horace or whatever your man from the paper is called. He had his basic facts wrong about the Kernaghan case and it read like he was trying to construct, by omission of fact, a picture wherein Kernaghan walked out on or turned his back on Northern Ireland for us. Couldn't be further from the truth.

The IFA turned Kernaghan away because he was born in England to England/Britain/ non-NI born parents of Ulster folk. His parents then brought him to live in NI when he was only four or five and there he remained until he became a professional footballer and actually played for NI schoolboys.

Then he found out the IFA weren't going to pick him because they were party to a daft, stupid, hair-brained "home countries" deal which was concocted entirely to maximise Englands available player pool to the detriment of NI, Scotland and Wales.

I have a degree of sympathy for the IFA when it comes to lads like Darron Gibson effectively "cuckooing" in their system but in Kernaghans case I have not so much as a morsel.