Eligibility Rules, Okay

North Dakota has long wanted to drop the "North" part b/c they feel it makes it sound like a cold, remote place with a high alcoholism and abuse rate, (of course it is/has) while South Dakota gets more tourism. (North Dakota is last). So it would just be "Dakota." Which sounds more romantic. Ireland gets plenty of tourism but maybe you should be Southern Ireland while Northern Ireland is just Ireland. Southern Ireland sounds like a fine destination to the uninitiated. For example Stutts last year you went to the beaches and hot tubs of Sweden on Holiday but maybe you would have just investigated spending your money in Southern Ireland.

We are regulars to West Cork which is lovely. It makes east Cork sound horrible by implication though.

My family got tired of the rain though hence more imaginative destinations in recent years.

Cork and Kerry are beautiful places. If a foreigner asked me where to go in Ireland, they would be top of the list. In fact, I would tell them to skip the towns and cities and just do a rural, scenic holiday. Architecturally, Ireland's towns and cities are put to shame by other developed countries.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

We are regulars to West Cork which is lovely. It makes east Cork sound horrible by implication though.

My family got tired of the rain though hence more imaginative destinations in recent years.

---

Would Ystad rate as one of your more imaginative destinations?

Yes, I think so. Nice spot actually. Since our last trip to Cork we've also been to Mallorca and Annecy in France. The latter wins.

Scottish born Paul Paton has been called up for Northern Ireland.

Looked up his Twitter for sh*ts and giggles..

https://twitter.com/zebacowie/status/439857032418426880

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

Scottish born Paul Paton has been called up for Northern Ireland.

Looked up his Twitter for sh*ts and giggles..

https://twitter.com/zebacowie/status/439857032418426880

---

His father's from Larne so I don't think his eligibility was ever in question.

Exactly, he's one of ours.

Well, I suppose any of their 'triallists' can later jump ship and join us!
;)

Even Alex Bruce...
:rolleyes:

The Adnan Januzaj saga is pretty interesting. Just looking at this, Kosovo have their eye on a few more as well, should they gain recognition... Shaqiri, Xhaka, Behrami and Cana. I presume the 'special circumstances' apply because Kosovo wasn't previously an option and they'd be entitled to switch should the situation chance?


Kosovo to persist with Januzaj

Kosovo football federation officials will continue their pursuit of Adnan Januzaj, despite comments from the Manchester United winger's father that he would not make his international debut for the country next month.

Kosovo is currently not recognised by the United Nations and until then cannot be admitted to FIFA. World football's governing body, however, has granted the nation permission to play against full FIFA members who recognise its independence - although such meetings would not qualify as full international fixtures.
Januzaj was reportedly set to play for the country - where the majority of his family hail from - in its first-ever full international against Haiti on March 5.

Kosovo manager Albert Bunjaki told ESPN FC on Wednesday: "The players must decide by themselves. I want them in the team, but the most important thing is that they - not their parents, their managers or anyone else - make their decision. If they can do that, I know they'll have high motivation to come with us."
But Eroll Salihu, secretary general at the FFK, said he would continue to pursue the 19-year-old.

"We cannot force him, but it would be very symbolic if Adnan would play for 15 or 20 minutes," he said. "He would not be asked to do anything beyond that. Unfortunately he is just 19 and we don't have any official statement from him, but I think [Januzaj's camp] should give positive signals to meet with our officials."
The midfielder is wanted by a host of different countries, with Belgium, Albania, Turkey, Serbia and England all hoping to persuade him to represent them.

Bunjaki said he would also pursue Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri and Borussia Monchengladbach's Granit Xhaka, who will both play for Switzerland in this summer's World Cup, as well as Swiss teammate Valon Behrami, of Napoli, and Albania captain Lorik Cana, of Lazio.

"The most important thing is that we start building the team with the players available to us now, who are all of good quality, and creating some competition within the group. After that, if we play in the World Cup qualifiers then of course I want the best players for Kosovo - that includes Shaqiri, Xhaka, Behrami, Januzaj, all of them," he said.

Friendly matches do not commit a player to one country, but FIFA's statute, article 17, allows for changes in national representation by athletes only in special circumstances.

Last week, Januzaj's father told Kosovan TV station Kohavision that he would like his son to play for Kosovo, but added that "the matter is delicate, because the Kosovo FA is not yet a member of FIFA."

"Maybe one day Adnan will play for Kosovo, but for now, this will not happen. And we have a lot of time to think about everything."



Incidentally, they are drawing 0-0 at home to Haiti at half time in their first international.


Edit:
Full time:- Kosovo 0-0 Haiti

When he states that he wants Xhaka, Behrami and Shaqiri to play for Kosovo, is he rambling? It's not possible for these players to switch to Kosovo having appeared competitively for Switzerland, is it?

They seem to be banking on there being an amnesty, although I can't see where in history there is a precedent unless they represented a nation that no longer exists.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

They seem to be banking on there being an amnesty, although I can't see where in history there is a precedent unless they represented a nation that no longer exists.

---

Surely Yugoslavia and the USSR are the pertinent precedents here.

Eg. Boban played for Yugoslavia and then played for Croatia which subsequently came into being. And Yugoslavia existed after this date also. The USSR FA continued on as the Russian FA.

This bit from that article is not correct
"Kosovo is currently not recognised by the United Nations and until then cannot be admitted to FIFA."
That admission to FIFA can also depend on the parent FA giving their permission/favour for the application.
If Kosovo got the backing of Serbia FA, they could become a FIFA member without having UN membership.
But that would be as unlikely as an Orange parade standing to attention for AnbF.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

Surely Yugoslavia and the USSR are the pertinent precedents here.

Eg. Boban played for Yugoslavia and then played for Croatia which subsequently came into being. And Yugoslavia existed after this date also. The USSR FA continued on as the Russian FA.

---

Serbia and Montenegro is a better example, but the 'amnesty' as such only concerned the countries directly affected.
In Kosovo's case, none of their players play with their mother FA, in fact they hate Serbia. Their international standard players are with Albania and Switzerland.
Kosovo's case is breaking new ground.

Fair point about 'new ground', though without being contrary, be surprised if this is the first ever case?

Be surprised then:) It's (hypothetically) unprecedented.
Where you have a new FIFA member from a new breakaway region/country, whose players are not playing with the 'mother' FA, but with other countries in Europe.
And hypothetically (on being accepted as full member), Kosovo are looking for an amnesty for those capped players.

Don't know if it's ever been mentioned but Harry Kane of Spurs is allegedly eligible through an Irish father.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

Don't know if it's ever been mentioned but Harry Kane of Spurs is allegedly eligible through an Irish father.

---

He was mentioned in the usual rounding up of the usual suspects in the papers recently alright. Galway I think.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BonnieShels

Surely Yugoslavia and the USSR are the pertinent precedents here.

Eg. Boban played for Yugoslavia and then played for Croatia which subsequently came into being. And Yugoslavia existed after this date also. The USSR FA continued on as the Russian FA.

---

Yugoslavia in 1990 and Yugoslavia in 1992 were the same in name only. A new republic was formed and a new FA applied to join FIFA and UEFA. That's not in any way applicable to Kosovar footballers who are cap-tied to Switzerland.