They will hardly get a look in with all the English born kids currently swamping the IFA teamsOriginally Posted by Not Brazil
Small update, probably of limited relevance to us.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ca/9475788.stmFifa will consider a proposal to relax the rules on the naturalisation of players at its annual Congress.
The Congress will also seek to give the executive committee greater powers to suspend member federations.
The main item on the Congress agenda on 1 June is the presidential election between incumbent Sepp Blatter and challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam.
The Congress will also be asked to rubber-stamp moves to tighten up on friendly internationals.
Football's governing body will consider a suggestion that a player over the age of 18 need only live in a new country for three rather than the current five years before he can play for its national team.
Fifa said the proposal, included in the Congress agenda, had been made by the United Arab Emirates Football Association.
Many feel the regulations are already too relaxed and allow players to switch nationalities too easily.
Portugal and Mexico have fielded foreign-born players with no parental connections to the country, as have a number of African countries.
Blatter once said that he feared a World Cup being played with teams full of Brazilian players who had changed nationalities.
Until 2004, a player only needed the passport of the country he wanted to represent, which many nations were happy to fast-track.
But after Qatar tried to sign up Brazilian forward Ailton, Fifa ruled that players must have lived in their country for at least two years before they could play for it.
That was later increased to five.
The Congress will also be asked to allow the executive committee to suspend a member federation for a single violation of Fifa statutes.
At the moment, it can only do this for repeated serious violations.
Fifa's executive committee announced in March it would take greater control over international friendlies.
This came after a fake Togo team played in one game in September and seven penalties were awarded in two matches in Turkey in February.
Congress has been asked to approve the new rules which include allowing Fifa to change the referee if it thinks he is not qualified for the game.
The Congress agenda said: "FIFA would like to highlight the fact that it is of vital importance to have clear provisions regarding the authorisation of international matches in order to protect the integrity of football."
I guess the Northern Irish kids who have childhood dreams of playing for the South, might have the same problem with the FAI teams.
The Englishmen came over in the year 2005
But little did they know that we'd planned a wee surprise
Sir David scored the winner, and Windsor Park went wild
And this is what we sang...
Rather, Irish kids born in NI. There is no border to Irish national identity.I guess the Northern Irish kids who have childhood dreams of playing for the South, might have the same problem with the FAI teams.
Whats happening in France is worth keeping an eye on. There's been suggestions about limiting or putting a quota on the number
of dual nationals (North African players for example) entering the academies.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/b...ace-row-french
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...egations-blanc
It still baffles me as to how Nedum Onuoha qualified to play for England at under-21 level as he's a naturalised British citizen, isn't he? I was having a look around the net but details on his eligibility appear scarce.
Interesting last paragraph in that first piece:
Hmm, questionable.Fifa rules stipulate which players countries can pick. Governments decide who can get passports. French football officials were debating whether to deliberately exclude people that both Fifa and the government allow them to pick. People in other countries often do the same. The debates about the mooted England call-up for Manuel Almunia showed that. Many fans were opposed on principle even though the government says he is entitled to citizenship, the England cricket and rugby teams would have had no qualms about selecting him if he were good enough and he has spent more time in the country than, say, Owen Hargreaves. Similarly, many Irish fans scoffed recently when Jermaine Pennant revealed that he was considering declaring for the Republic, the land of his grandfather. The reason many fans gave was that Pennant had not made his Irish roots known before and was presumably only doing so now because he had finally accepted that England were not going to give him a game. He is, therefore, an opportunist. But how could they know that? And even if they were right, so what? Is it wrong to go to the country that gives you the best opportunities? He would only be picked if he was the best man for the job. Isn't that how it should be?
Whatever about the FFF, there's absolutely no suggestion that FIFA are even contemplating introducing caps on the number of dual nationals an association may select, is there? Such would be profoundly unfair, arguably racist in sentiment, essence and effect masked by the language of officialdom, and would surely run in complete contrast to the whole idea of nationality which many hold dear as an essential aspect of their identity and cultural make-up.
The article was saying that the FFF were thinking of putting a quota on the number of dual nationals despite FIFA and the government saying that they are eligible. They were talking about about a limit of 30% or so of the academy players being dual nationals. Hasn't gone done too well.
I don't think there is any suggestion that FIFA are getting involved. Although if France don't get a solution to losing all these players from youth squads, they may lobby FIFA for a change, although I'd say thats a long way off.
They'll have to dream into infinity, unless they are eligible to play for South Africa or South Korea....I guess the Northern Irish kids who have childhood dreams of playing for the South, might have the same problem with the FAI teams.
Sorry AB - your, normally sharp, wit is lost on me this time.
What do you mean?
The Englishmen came over in the year 2005
But little did they know that we'd planned a wee surprise
Sir David scored the winner, and Windsor Park went wild
And this is what we sang...
Sounds like the FFA are throwing out some red herrings to deflect from the exposure of evidence of obvious racism in their 'mission policy'.
Can you imagine the balls-up the IFA would make if they tried something like that, to impose a divisive selection policy, filtering out kids from an early age based on identity, even though the North is supposed to be a society where a person can just identify themselves as Irish.
NB,
You need to borrow a world atlas from our mutually rotund acquaintance....
I'd like to give the IFA the benefit of the doubt, I really would, but reality dictates otherwise. With the noises that come from messageboards such as OWC, it wouldn't come as a surprise if something this ludicrous occurred.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Judging by some sounds emanating from the likes of OWC, a section of the support would not welcome such 'traitors' back. They would be judged to have 'made their bed', playing for the FAI over the IFA being one of the carnal sins, of course.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Cardinal sin, no? Surely? Unless they have a different slant on what 'playing for the FAI' actually entails maybe.
Perhaps, although I wouldn't rule out the possibility of playing for the FAI being viewed as carnal in their fettered minds, considering all this talk of 'seedy practice', 'poaching' and making of beds.
Last edited by Predator; 16/05/2011 at 1:51 AM.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Not to mention the most serious accusation thrown at the IFA of 'getting into bed with the FAI'.
Up North, sex must be regarded as a sinful and crude action.
We also hear noises from other messageboards querying why any "nationalist" would want to play for Northern Ireland.
Never mind quotas, and such guff - if a young "nationalist" player harbours a childhood dream to play for the South, the IFA should leave him to it.
The Englishmen came over in the year 2005
But little did they know that we'd planned a wee surprise
Sir David scored the winner, and Windsor Park went wild
And this is what we sang...
Only outside of marriage.
Similar moral codes exist in the South, I understand.
The Englishmen came over in the year 2005
But little did they know that we'd planned a wee surprise
Sir David scored the winner, and Windsor Park went wild
And this is what we sang...
Clearly there are no moral codes down south if our footballing apartheid policy is anything to go by.
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