Mikel Arteta

**Murfinator** · 01/09/2010, 9:15 PM

I may be really, really, "really" stretching here but...

As per the amount of time he's spent in England he's become eligible for a british passport enabling him to play for any of the home nations. With Northern Ireland being among them, doesn't him being entitled to a Northern Irish passport as per the good friday agreement entitle him to declare for us as well?

**Drumcondra 69er** · 01/09/2010, 9:26 PM

No such thing as a Northern Irish passport......

**Predator** · 01/09/2010, 9:29 PM

He's not eligible for any of the British associations, regardless of any possible future British citizenship. In order to play for Ireland he would first have to have Irish nationality, but even if he did somehow acquire Irish nationality, he still wouldn't be eligible.

**Sullivinho** · 01/09/2010, 9:32 PM

**tricky_colour** · 01/09/2010, 9:50 PM

WE have better midfielders than Arteta already.

**Dodge** · 01/09/2010, 9:54 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

I may be really, really, "really" stretching here but...

As per the amount of time he's spent in England he's become eligible for a british passport enabling him to play for any of the home nations. With Northern Ireland being among them, doesn't him being entitled to a Northern Irish passport as per the good friday agreement entitle him to declare for us as well?

Oh my god

**kev mcq** · 01/09/2010, 11:30 PM

Originally Posted by tricky_colour

WE have better midfielders than Arteta already.

LOL..

**geysir** · 02/09/2010, 12:10 AM

Originally Posted by Predator

He's not eligible for any of the British associations, regardless of any possible future British citizenship. In order to play for Ireland he would first have to have Irish nationality, but even if he did somehow acquire Irish nationality, he still wouldn't be eligible.

I think he is eligible for England. He has 5 years continuos residency, fulfilling the FIFA requirement for those acquiring a new citizenship.

**Scooby Doo** · 02/09/2010, 12:21 AM

At a REAL stretch maybe!

**Predator** · 02/09/2010, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

I think he is eligible for England. He has 5 years continuos residency, fulfilling the FIFA requirement for those acquiring a new citizenship.

Are you sure? When it first arose, on the face of it, I also assumed he would be eligible in the event that he acquired British citizenship, but Charlie Darwin pointed out that he doesn't fulfil article 18.1(a)* and the English FA have ruled him out as a result. Link

* "At the time of [a player’s] first full or partial appearance in an international match in an official competition for his current Association, he must already have the nationality of the representative team for which he wishes to play."

**EastTerracer** · 02/09/2010, 12:49 AM

It is being incorrectly reported in the UK papers on Thursday that the words "have the nationality" means having a British passport. As we know well you can have nationality without holding a passport but I think the key is being qualified for that passport. In Arteta's case, he didn't qualify for British nationality when he played underage for Spain so he can't switch now. However, in the cases of Shane Duffy or Darron Gibson the players were entitled to Irish passports at the time they played underage for the North so they were still entitled to switch at a later date whether they actually held the passport or not.

**SkStu** · 02/09/2010, 12:51 AM

oh dear.

**Crosby87** · 02/09/2010, 12:56 AM

Is that Jack Nicholson picture photoshopped lol? Either way it is funny.

**boovidge** · 02/09/2010, 1:57 AM

I know this is a WUM thread but anyway, wouldn't that mean that every single player eligible for a UK passport would be eligible to play for us seeing as we don't have a "home nations association agreement"?

**geysir** · 02/09/2010, 8:10 AM

Originally Posted by Predator

Are you sure? When it first arose, on the face of it, I also assumed he would be eligible in the event that he acquired British citizenship, but Charlie Darwin pointed out that he doesn't fulfil article 18.1(a)* and the English FA have ruled him out as a result. Link

* "At the time of [a player’s] first full or partial appearance in an international match in an official competition for his current Association, he must already have the nationality of the representative team for which he wishes to play."

Nah I�m not sure, that why I wrote "I think"

. I missed Charlie's post, I didn't realise he had already been capped for Spain competitively.

On another thought, our diaspora in Britain and elsewhere, being entitled to a second nationality are regarded as having a 2nd nationality so they would only be barred from changing associations if they were capped at senior competitive level?