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Originally Posted by
EalingGreen
When a poster has to resort to convoluted constructions like that to back up his case, it is a sure sign that he is on dodgy ground.
Convoluted constructions? It's pretty standard English. :rolleyes:
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International eligibility and territorial jurisdiction are two separate issues.
So you claim, but I'm not aware of FIFA making any distinction. In fact, they expressly connect the two in the articles relating to eligibility when they raise the issue of "territory".
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Otherwise, since the FAI is entitled to select as-of-right under Article 15 any player born anywhere in the world to an Irish-born parent, your "logic" would mean that anywhere in the world also constitute the "territory" of the FAI...
Now who's resorting to convoluted constructions? You surely see what you're doing there, you disingenuous ol' divil you. Players born "anywhere in the world" don't qualify automatically to play for us by virtue of born "anywhere in the world", as you well know; they qualify because their parents are Ireland-born Irish nationals.
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Or, to put it another way, if NI is FAI "territory" why does a player (professional or amateur) transferring from an ROI club to an NI club (or vv) have to secure international clearance? Why are Derry City required to be Members of the IFA? Why do clubs/players/Leagues etc who are eg aggrieved at a decision by an IFA Disciplinary panel not merely appeal to the FAI etc? Indeed, why does anyone submit to the authority of the IFA in NI, if it does not have full jurisdiction over its own territory?
Because those are administrative issues. Irish nationality extends over the IFA's administrative jurisdiction, so for those purposes solely, FIFA obviously considers it to be the "territory" of the FAI.
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Geysir did NOT "explain it" to me.
Rather, he concocted a flimsy case which depended on two points, Alex Bruce and an alleged Howard Wells statement.
However, he has never specified under what Article etc Bruce was deemed eligible, or even that he was actually even deemed to be so (i.e. an Association may select anyone it likes, without having to justify it, if no-one else formally challenges the selection). Further, the international eligibility criteria, and their operation, have changed several times since Bruce first played for ROI.
As for Wells, Geysir likes to refer to an (alleged) statement by Wells, yet he has not, to my knowledge at least, ever provided a link. And considering he has consistently denigrated the reliability, credibility and veracity of Wells on just about every other issue, it's a bit rich for him to be making him his "Star witness for the prosecution" now.
Although some rules may have been added/abolished or wording amended here and there since the statues were last updated, I'm pretty sure that the same wording which enabled Bruce to line out for us when he first did are those still in place today. He qualifies - or qualified at the time, even - to play for us by virtue of his northern-born grandmother; under what is now article 17.
And you'll find what Wells said here.
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Northern Ireland chief executive, Howard Wells, spoke to The EADT: "This is an issue to do with player eligibility according to FIFA's own rules. It is a principle that needs to be resolved based on player eligibility, so that it is applied consistently.
"Alex Bruce is a player we have asked FIFA and the Republic to clarify but it is not about individuals, it is about the principle."
Was just a simple matter of googling "howard wells alex bruce" and, hey presto, it's your first hit. I reckon a knowledge-hungry fellow like yourself would be savvy to that already though. Not that you'd ever admit to having been aware, mind... :rolleyes:
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Why on earth should the IFA be interested in ascertaining whether Barton held/was entitled to Irish Nationality at the time he played for us against Morocco?
Having been born and bred in England, Barton is automatically a UK national.
And UK Nationality falls under FIFA Article 16 - "Nationality entitling players to represent more than one Association".
In the UK's case, these Associations are the FA, SFA, FAW and IFA and by mutual agreement, these four Associations specifically requested that additional qualifications (birth/ancestral/residential) be required to prevent a "free-for-all".
Barton satisfied these by virtue of his NI-born Grandfather, so neither the FA nor FIFA can have had any objection to his representing us.
I do not understand what point it is you're trying to make here.
I'm not surprised considering your rather long-standing and impressively-resolute ineptitude when it comes to trying to comprehend FIFA's eligibility statutes, but let me explain. No-one is objecting to him having represented Northern Ireland. Not sure what got that into your head. If you, however, had cared to read the rule I mentioned (article 18.1 (a)), you might have noted that it contains the following words:
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1. If a Player has more than one nationality, or if a Player acquires a new
nationality, or if a Player is eligible to play for several representative teams
due to nationality, he may, only once, request to change the Association for
which he is eligible to play international matches to the Association of another
country of which he holds nationality, subject to the following conditions:
(a) He has not played a match (either in full or in part) in an official
competition at "A" international level for his current Association, and at
the time of his first full or partial appearance in an international match
in an official competition for his current Association, he already had the
nationality of the representative team for which he wishes to play
...
Clearer now?
Edit: Actually, I'm just realising that Barton only ever played in one friendly game for Northern Ireland, albeit for the senior team, so this may not apply to him at all. I'd assumed he'd represented you at under-age level in official competition or something, although this isn't the case, is it? Apologies, notwithstanding your past neglect. :o
Re-edit: Does this even mean that Barton is actually making an official change of association in the eyes of FIFA? Possibly not. Maybe someone could confirm?