NI Boss targets Republics Kane

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We have a small enough squad as it is - how would you like it if you suddenly lost even 2 or 3 of your starting XI for Slovakia on Saturday, never mind half your team?

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Well I don't think we'd like it which is why most people would have some sympathy with NI on this issue.

However these are Irish citizens through birth we are talking about. The same as someone born in Cork, Dublin or Donegal. They should have the right to choose. Some may opt for ROI but I imagine most would just stick with NI. They should however be given the right to choice and it seems they have.

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if FIFA's Rules are being broken, that situation must not be allowed to continue unchecked.

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Well we are all football fans but some things are more important than football and an individual's right to assert his nationality through his birthright and for there to be no impedements in place to representing his country is certainly one of those things.

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Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Greendeise,
The reason the numbers have been so low is because it was only comparatively recently, when Kerr took over, that the FAI started proactively to recruit/accept NI-born players, in contravention of the "Gentlemens' Agreement" which had existed previously over decades.
And since most of the obvious players were already tied to NI by having played for our senior team, then they had to concentrate on our youngsters.
And as we know, only a minority of promising youngsters ever progress all the way to senior status, after a process that takes several years.

That said, if we only lost one Darron Gibson every other year, that would amount to four senior players over the course of two Qualifying tournaments, or six over the course of the average player's international career. We have a small enough squad as it is - how would you like it if you suddenly lost even 2 or 3 of your starting XI for Slovakia on Saturday, never mind half your team?

Moreover, the ROI, with generally a bigger/stronger squad than us, will only be interested in the best of our youngsters, leaving us with those who fear they might not be good enough to represent the ROI. What happens if the next player recruited after Gibson is the next David Healy?

On top of which, it is quite clear that the FAI are only targeting youngsters from a Catholic/Nationalist background. Does anyone other than a bigot really want to see a situation where the two Irish sides are effectively segregated between the "Prod team" (IFA) and the "Catholic team" (FAI)? I know that I certainly don't.

Besides, there is a principle at stake, so it shouldn't matter whether we are talking one player or 100 players; if FIFA's Rules are being broken, that situation must not be allowed to continue unchecked.

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I understand your point of view EG but if they are eligible and willing to play for the Republic it really isn't of any concern for us what happens to the NI national team. I genuinely wish the NI team well but it's the Republic I want to see winning matches and if that means at the expense of NI so be it.

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Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Greendeise,On top of which, it is quite clear that the FAI are only targeting youngsters from a Catholic/Nationalist background. Does anyone other than a bigot really want to see a situation where the two Irish sides are effectively segregated between the "Prod team" (IFA) and the "Catholic team" (FAI)? I know that I certainly don't..

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Tony Kane wrote a letter to the FAI asking to play for Ireland.(before defecting)

Darron Gibson was never approached by the FAI, he approached them as did Marc Wilson,Ruairi Harkin, Kevin Deery etc..

I presume those choosing to represent Ireland from a Nationalist background do so because they have grown up supporting Ireland, and see it as being a very natural ambition to represent your country.

Nothing startling in that !

I don't know what you are going on about all this 'Catholic team' rubbish, race, colour or creed has never been an issue for our team.

If players from the south were eligible to play for the north and wanted to play for NI and were good enough. Would the IFA turn them down????

Lads, summer's over and the season has started, time to bin this pointless thread.

[QUOTE=EalingGreen;765365]Greendeise,

On top of which, it is quite clear that the FAI are only targeting youngsters from a Catholic/Nationalist background. Does anyone other than a bigot really want to see a situation where the two Irish sides are effectively segregated between the "Prod team" (IFA) and the "Catholic team" (FAI)? I know that I certainly don't.


I dont think the FAI are setting out to have a catholic/nationalist only team but imo it is fair to say that in general if they were targetting northern ireland players then given the "situation" there it would be those from a nationalist background that they would chase.

I dont think religion or race ever came into selection for us, most of us down here would not know or question the religion of people in any walk of life (there's always exceptions tho), but down here religion is not an issue. We've had plenty of C of I and C of E playing for us but who they are i couldn't tell because its not an issue.

Agree its nothing to do with religion-its whether you think you are Irish. Gibson does (is) so why would he want to play for the GSTQ brigade?

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Originally Posted by Maroon 7

Well we are all football fans but some things are more important than football and an individual's right to assert his nationality through his birthright and for there to be no impedements in place to representing his country is certainly one of those things.

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I agree that some (most, actually) things are more important than football, including questions of nationality, birthright etc. But I prefer to apply that conclusion differently to you. In other words, football is less important than politics.

That is, Gibson's playing football for NI need not compromise his "Irishness" any more than that of e.g. Chris Baird is compromised. (Or the "Britishness" of Andrew Trimble is compromised by his playing rugby for Ireland at the weekend, for that matter). Which is why players like Baird are perfectly welcome to represent NI, whilst still being 100% Irish, with attendant Irish Passport etc.

And if you take your conclusion to its logical limit, you are effectively saying that those individuals who feel strongly about politics etc, should be allowed a choice as to which country they represent at football, whereas those who don't actually care shouldn't really get the same choice. International football isn't actually about choice, or aspirations.

Rather, it's about representing the "country" (as defined by FIFA) in which you were born (or your parents, grandparents). And in the absence of meeting those criteria, even if you can find a country which wants you to represent it, FIFA requires that if you must prove the strength of your eligibility (affiliation) by actually going to live there for a minimum period.

I suppose what I am saying in the end is that there are two teams in Ireland, with mine (NI) being every bit as legitimate, and legitimately "Irish", as yours (ROI). Therefore, if we cannot choose players born in your part of the island (jurisdiction), why should you be allowed to choose players born in ours?

After all, for all this appeal to the "right of choice", no-one ever gave any of us the right to choose where we were born. But if Mr. & Mrs. Gibson were so concerned by this, they always had the option of seeing that young Darron was born in the Republic.

After all, in another sporting context, generations of Yorkshire cricketing fans made the effort*...



* - Until the criteria were changed, so that they didn't need to ;)

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Originally Posted by ifk101

I understand your point of view EG but if they are eligible and willing to play for the Republic it really isn't of any concern for us what happens to the NI national team. I genuinely wish the NI team well but it's the Republic I want to see winning matches and if that means at the expense of NI so be it.

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Perfectly fair, ifk, and I wouldn't argue with any of it. Especially the part "but if they are eligible"! :cool:

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Originally Posted by co. down green

I don't know what you are going on about all this 'Catholic team' rubbish, race, colour or creed has never been an issue for our team.

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I agree entirely that the ROI team does not have an issue with race, colour or creed etc, but that was not what I actually posted.

Rather, with questions of political affiliation and (nominal) religion pretty much inseparable in NI, as you will well know, the inevitable consequence of the FAI only approaching/being approached by youngsters from one community in NI and not the other, will mean that the ROI will de facto become the "Nationalist/Catholic team" in Ireland and NI will become the de facto "Unionist/Protestant" team in Ireland.

And I for one would absolutely hate it if that were so, not least since throughout the dark decades from which we have just emerged, football was one of the few activities in NI which managed to maintain a good degree of inter-communal interaction, no matter how strained it was at times. :(

Players in the north can play for either north or south. Get over it and accept it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by kingdomkerry

If players from the south were eligible to play for the north and wanted to play for NI and were good enough. Would the IFA turn them down????

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Players from "the south" [sic] are not eligible to play for "the north" [sic], so, yes, the IFA would turn them down.

Have you taken up wumming again?

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Originally Posted by as_i_say

Agree its nothing to do with religion-its whether you think you are Irish. Gibson does (is) so why would he want to play for the GSTQ brigade?

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I must say, I never had you down for a Descartesian - "Je pense, donc je suis" :eek:

(Besides, you really wouldn't want to be what I think you are...;))

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Therefore, if we cannot choose players born in your part of the island (jurisdiction), why should you be allowed to choose players born in ours?

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Because they are Irish citizens through birth so should have the right to choose which team they wish to represent just like any other Irish citizen has the right to. I can't spell it out any clearer. You are being wilfully evasive on this. Trying to force people to be what they aren't is what had NI in a state of turmoil for decades.

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After all, for all this appeal to the "right of choice", no-one ever gave any of us the right to choose where we were born. But if Mr. & Mrs. Gibson were so concerned by this, they always had the option of seeing that young Darron was born in the Republic.

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Well I'll just take this as an attempt at humour.

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Originally Posted by Maroon 7

Because they are Irish citizens through birth so should have the right to choose which team they wish to represent just like any other Irish citizen has the right to. I can't spell it out any clearer. You are being wilfully evasive on this. Trying to force people to be what they aren't is what had NI in a state of turmoil for decades.



Well I'll just take this as an attempt at humour.

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And my point, which seems to be evading you, is that playing football for NI does not make a (Unionist) player any more "British", or a (Nationalist) player - like Gibson - any less "Irish". It merely makes them an NI footballer.

As for my last point, it wasn't really "humourous" but then again, it wasn't really serious, either, as my allusion to Yorkshire cricket was intended to show.

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Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Players from "the south" [sic] are not eligible to play for "the north" [sic], so, yes, the IFA would turn them down.

Have you taken up wumming again?

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Very selective again. There was an IF in that question but its tipical of your ignorance, that rather than answer a question honestly you make a pathetic attempt at humor.

You, the IFA, the are we a country biggots, the GSDQ singing, union jack waving hypocrits have'nt a leg to stand on trying to snatch Gibson off us and prevent Irish citizens playing with Ireland in the future.

Now I think I speak for a lot of us here when I say get lost if your only going to keep going round in circles:mad:

Didn't the Blackhawks (Hockey) just sign a guy named Tony Kane a few months ago?

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Originally Posted by Tuff Paddy

Can somebody please close this muck, it's so boring.

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agreed. And close the Gibson one while you're at it.

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Originally Posted by kingdomkerry

Very selective again. There was an IF in that question but its tipical of your ignorance, that rather than answer a question honestly you make a pathetic attempt at humor.

You, the IFA, the are we a country biggots, the GSDQ singing, union jack waving hypocrits have'nt a leg to stand on trying to snatch Gibson off us and prevent Irish citizens playing with Ireland in the future.

Now I think I speak for a lot of us here when I say get lost if your only going to keep going round in circles:mad:

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For the record -You don't speak for me and nor, I strongly suspect, do you speak for "a lot of us here". There's an "Ignore" function on your options if someones posts irritate you.

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

For the record -You don't speak for me and nor, I strongly suspect, do you speak for "a lot of us here". There's an "Ignore" function on your options if someones posts irritate you.

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I never said I spoke for you Lionel Ritchie, I said i think i speak for alot of people on this thread who feel that the thread is going around in cirlcles. If you bothered looking at the other comments of other people asking for an end to this thread you might not of contradicted my fair point!!