Ailton

[eoinh]

What do people think of Players like Ailton who plays in Germany being paid to play with Qatar? He has no links to that country what so ever. Qatar are also after two other brazilians. In the last world championships two Kenyan runners changed their nationality to that of Qatar and won gold medals.

Surely this should not be allowed.

[SÓC]

Its difficult to stop though.

Think of it. The money he's getting is appearence fees etc, just like the Irish players get on a smaller scale.

FIFA cant leglislate for countries who offer passports to anyone they want. There was talk of a 2 year residency requirement but that would mess around loads of national sides especially our own and the Welsh one.

Even if they made a rule saying you had to have parents/grandparents people could still get around this rule. Imagne it Ailton landing in Qatar. Bride there waiting for him. Gets married. Now Qatari. Get divorced. Still Qatari. Goes back to Germany. He could just as easlily be adopted by someone. The problem is states like Qatar dont have a law making system like we do. The Princes etc can pretty much do what they want.

[liam88]

Mum is Irish-dad is a Anglo-Indian (Indian, Portugese, French) and born in Burma.
i grew up in England.
WHo could I play for?

[SÓC]

Originally posted by liam88
Mum is Irish-dad is a Anglo-Indian (Indian, Portugese, French) and born in Burma.
i grew up in England.
WHo could I play for?

All of the above providing you have a grandparent/parent who holds a passport or is enetitled to hold a passport. Even failing that you could play for any of those countries that is willing to give you a passport based on your background.

I'd say if you want to play international football India and Burma are your best bets;)

[eoinh]

i have nothing against people playing for their ancestors countries (within reason) or playing for a country you settled in.

Getting paid to play for a country that you have no connection to whatsoever is a bit much though.

Its just turning international football into club football.

[pete]

Residency is a load of bull too although unfortunately made easier now by latest FIFA changes.

[lopez]

Originally posted by liam88
Mum is Irish-dad is a Anglo-Indian (Indian, Portugese, French) and born in Burma.
i grew up in England.
WHo could I play for?
Qatar? :D

[kasol]

I think that this kind of situations shouldn't take place. Ailton to Qatar sounds like normally changing club teams, but Qatar is national team!!!

[eoinh]

From Reuters:-

FIFA stops mercenary players switching nationality
Wed 17 March, 2004 15:24

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - FIFA has introduced emergency measures to stop soccer players taking advantage of the governing body's regulations to switch nationalities.

Following a decision by FIFA's Emergency Committee, any player who assumes a new nationality without having a clear connection to that country will not be eligible to play for the national team.

Qatar said last week it would naturalise three Brazilians to bolster their team ahead of qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup. The trio played for German clubs and had no previous link with Qatar.

FIFA said on Wednesday players would now have to show strong links with their adopted country through their parents or grandparents, or show they have lived there for two years, to be able to play for the national team.

"Naturalisation that allows players with no obvious connection to the new country to play for that country's national teams is not the aim and object of the statutes," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said in a statement.

"For that reason, we have to put an immediate stop to such practices. I will also bring this matter up at the ordinary FIFA congress in Paris on 20-21 May 2004 with the aim of amending our statutes accordingly."

The relevant FIFA statute opens the door for players who have not played for their original country to assume another nationality and play for that country's team.

Under new regulations, a player will have to show either he was born on the territory of the relevant association; that his biological mother or father was born on that territory; that his grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory; or that he had lived continuously for at least two years on the territory.

[SÓC]

Even that has loop holes.

What does living continusouly mean? In some countries you only have to live their 3 months of the year to be considered to be resident there for the entire year. Say if that fella went there for his summers off he might be able to get away with it.

But at least its a start, expect Qatar to challenge it or find a loop hole.