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Originally Posted by
The Fly
Indeed. I'd meant to write a bit in response to this piece a few days ago, but only getting around to posting it now.
The argument is bizarre and doesn't stand up to scrutiny at all once you break through the intentionally cryptic nonsense. It possesses a false sense of sophistication when the truth is it's just as insincere, contradictory and stifling as most of the other arguments offered in favour of the IFA's stance.
The fact of the matter is that his argument doesn't challenge FIFA's interpretation at all. Nor does it actually attempt to. Rather, the piece is a pointless and confused attempt to win cheap political points and disingenuously position the IFA on the moral high-ground. It amounts to a few paragraphs of creaming himself over the prospect of Sinn Féin politicians having to admit they might actually be British. So much for keeping politics out of football then…
He assumes FIFA could care less about the rhetoric of nationalist politicians, or even the hallowed "spirit" of the GFA. He's also forgetting that the CAS proceedings are confidential; even if the FAI were to argue that playing for NI infers British nationality, whilst playing for Ireland infers Irish nationality, and that Irish nationality cannot make you eligible to play for NI, as is quite obviously the case, nobody would ever know anyway. So I doubt the FAI could care less about arguing such a point either. Although, I don’t see why they would be afraid to argue the point anyway. One thing for certain, however, is that CAS will not be afraid to confront the truth, whether the FAI or FIFA even argue the point or not. It can't fail to enter into CAS's decision-making process as it's so patently obvious that playing for Northern Ireland is to exercise a right to British citizenship whilst playing for Ireland is to exercise a right to Irish citizenship.
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The FAI in Dublin, in recent years, has set about targeting talented players from a nationalist background, who represent the IFA's underage teams.
Yadda, yadda, yadda…
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Having represented the IFA at schoolboy, U17 and U19 level, though, he was persuaded to defect to the FAI.
Is there any proof Kearns had to be persuaded, never mind the fact that persuasion isn't the same thing as coercion anyway, no matter how much certain NI fans would like to attach such connotations to its usage.
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Careful reading of FIFA's statutes shows that, if the FAI position is upheld, it denies the right of players born in Northern Ireland to consider themselves Irish only.
Duly noted. ;)
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If the FAI wants to take its pick of players born in the north, irrespective of any other criteria, it must rely on an inference that they possess dual nationality and are British citizens, whether they like it or not.
But they do possess such, don't they? I don't see the point in denying an obvious reality, no matter what your politics are on the matter or how much you might dislike something. In any sphere, it's unlikely you'll overcome something by pretending it doesn't exist. Similarly, I don't see why it would be a weakening of any nationalist position to face up to that reality. You can just as easily oppose it. Anyway, back on point, there's merely no obligation to identify as British. And, unless a player wishes to play for Northern Ireland, there's no need to exercise that nationality either.
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Currently a player who carries an Irish passport can use it as proof of nationality, if he plays for a Northern Ireland team.
This is surely quite an outrageous claim. That's an IFA policy, which to the best of my knowledge permits Northern Ireland players to represent them with Irish passports. For the purpose of satisfying FIFA's rules, I can’t imagine, say, Conor Clifford of Chelsea waltzing into Windsor Park with an Irish passport and this alone proving him eligible to play for Northern Ireland. In the instance of which Polley speaks, the Irish passport is nothing more than a proof of identity and, presumably, place of birth, which along with other documents, such as ones signifying parents' place of birth or whatever, might make a player eligible to represent Northern Ireland. Indeed, a northern-born player might hold only an Irish passport and may self-identify as Irish, as he is completely entitled to do, but for official purposes, and as per FIFA's rules, any time he plays for Northern Ireland he is playing for a British team and exercising British citizenship.
Irish nationality simply doesn’t permit you to play for more than one country. To point out how ridiculous the thought is, there's no question, for example, that Robbie Keane qualifies to play for us under article 15 and not article 16, which is the rule that would apply if Owen Polley’s wild claims were correct.
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A few years ago nationalist politicians justly fought a suggestion from FIFA that a footballer could be compelled to produce a British passport in order to confirm eligibility.
Not sure what the relevance of this is. I thought Owen was trying to keep petty poltical squabbles out of this…
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to the letter of UK law, everyone from Northern Ireland possesses British citizenship unless it is renounced
And with that startling admission, in contradiction of pretty much everything else he'd been trying to claim up to this point, the whole argument collapses in on itself. Good job, Owen. Cheers.
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the IFA, quite rightly, does not require any of its players to acknowledge British citizenship or carry a UK passport.
As seemingly honourable as that is, I'm pretty sure, however, that FIFA do require that any player who lines out for Northern Ireland is in possession of British citizenship.
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The CAS can't rule for the FAI without accepting that nationalist players, choosing to play for Northern Ireland, are automatically British, whether or not they claim that nationality. That would run counter to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.
I don’t know why Owen Polley thinks CAS could care about ruling against what he perceives to be the "spirit" of the GFA. I can't believe that's even a serious point. CAS deal with written rules; not "spirit" and other such wishy-washy concepts.
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There are numerous valid objections to the FAI's strategy. Is it ethical for a neighbouring association, on friendly terms with the IFA, to poach young players after they benefit from considerable coaching and investment in Northern Ireland? Is it right to target players from one community background?
It mightn't sound so unethical if he was to cease with the misrepresentational spin. I heard that deceit was another ethically-objectionable vice in which to engage...
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Requiring young nationalists to acknowledge British nationality, if they are to represent the Northern Ireland football team, is a fundamentally illiberal notion.
Hmm… In contrast to "the letter of UK law" under which "everyone from Northern Ireland possesses British citizenship unless it is renounced"? It's either one or the other, Mr. Polley. I think the fundamentally illiberal notion here, however, is attempting to dictate to an Irish national that he ought not to be allowed represent his country, as much twisting things to make it look otherwise occurs.
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Indeed, if the logic were extended further, participation in all Northern Ireland's teams, institutions and the Northern Irish identity itself would depend on an acceptance of Britishness, with Irishness the exclusive preserve of the Republic. That is a recipe for segregation, rather than sharing.
Northern Irish identity is a British identity, though. Recipe for segregation or not, this is the legal fact of the matter.
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Originally Posted by
dantheman
The only thing of note is the poaching>grabbing evolution. Where will it end? Raping? Genocide?
Sure the FAI have moved onto "raids" now, didn't you know?...
