I don't think there's point in arguing with some of those posters over on TA, they've a set opinion that the FAI are stealing players with "no connection to Ireland" and that won't change.
I don't think there's point in arguing with some of those posters over on TA, they've a set opinion that the FAI are stealing players with "no connection to Ireland" and that won't change.
I was contemplating going on there myself as they're still trotting out the same old misconceptions, but there's little I'd be doing other than repeating what's in the piece posted right there in front of them.
I thought the idea of a Facebook page might help garner some more exposure: http://www.facebook.com/pages/FIFA-P...12663095492254
Out of all the e-mails I've sent, I've received a rather disappointing two replies so far. One was from Jonathan Wilson, the editor of the Blizzard, thanking me for my interest, but he stated that they've "been deluged with submissions" so are "pretty full for the next couple of issues". He has added my "pitch to the pile for consideration beyond that", though.
Andrew Jarvis of UTV also e-mailed to thank me for my e-mail and to say he had passed it onto the station's news and sports teams.
Sports News Ireland are going to post it in parts, however, which is positive.
Getting a response at all from Wilson is an achievement in itself. Between launching and editing the Blizzard while maintaining his regular journo work, he must be inordinately busy.
Ou-est le Centre George Pompidou?
I liked the sh*t out of that page Danny.
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It was only 18 when I did it.
The thing is it's only worth saying once. Why bother to 'help' them further?
If they want to stick their heads in the sand then let them do so....
Quick question. Maybe someone (DannyInvincible) can help me out. Are you eligible for a country even if you are not a citizen?
Let's say you or a parent/grandparent were born in a country but neither were citizens. Would you be eligible?
Or what if your parent/grandparent was a citizen but you were not a citizen. Would you be eligible then?
I'm now thinking that this was a stupid question and that it is entirely based on citizenship of the player. Hmm, but hypothetically couldn't there be cases where players and their parents/grandparents didn't have citizenship to their birthplaces. Couldn't this mean that this player wouldn't be eligible to represent the birthplaces of any of himself/parents/grandparents.
I hear you, but we had been letting them bury their heads deep in the sand up until Dan's essay came to fruition. There is no harm in clicking 'send' a few more times.
I wonder is the blatant lack of response from the OWC fanbase due to a fear of publicising the essay, a lack of understanding, or a sheer lack of will.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Aye. Given my experience of many of them, it's mainly due to their own paranoia and various irrational insecurities....
I think there is quite a strange ethos on there where the delusions are not only present, but fostered and encouraged along by the throbbing, ill informed mass that make up the mindset. To be presented with the actual truth as Danny so eloquently did, I think has left them with no reaction available that they would ever want to entertain.
So its time to stick those heads in the sand untill it has passed. Fairly basic, but unfortunatley that would appear to be where OWC is at, and likely to remain by the looks of it.
Last edited by CraftyToePoke; 22/06/2011 at 12:49 AM.
You don't have to be a citizen to be eligible but it's generally the criterion FIFA uses. For instance, Darron Gibson has always been eligible for ROI, but the way he proved it was by getting his Irish passport. He could technically play for Ireland on a British passport but it would be a convoluted way of doing it. By the same token, a denial of citizenship would be considered proof you're not eligible, e.g. a refugee who grew up in Ireland but isn't eligible for a passport.
I reckon the facts alone wouldn't constitute enough of an obstacle to justify the deafening silence, rather it's clarity and comprehensiveness. It'd be a daunting task to try and take it apart and dismissal of reality ain't the strongest position to take in response.
I don't anticipate much publicity tbh, especially in those places where the myths and misconceptions were rife to begin with. The piece isn't exactly compatible with the simplistic view of things that's already out there, even among those who support the motion. The appetite for clarity is fairly questionable outside of places such as here. You only have to hear some of the contradictory guff the North of Ireland manager comes out with and he's mixed up in the thick of it.
I feel the true value of Danny's work is as a resource for anyone genuinely trying to educate themselves on the issue and as a reference for contention whenever the myths of the title crop up. It's worth a lot to have all that information collated in one piece rather than dispersed over one (or several!) forum threads.
Last edited by Sullivinho; 22/06/2011 at 1:23 AM.
What CD said.
Being a national of the particular country for whom one wants to declare is a prerequisite. Possessing citizenship of that particular country - of which possession of a passport is proof - is generally accepted by FIFA as evidence of this, although FIFA have granted an exception in the IFA's case where their players are permitted to play for them with either a British passport or just an Irish passport for the purposes of travel, identification and all that just so long as the IFA otherwise ascertain and certify the eligibility - or British nationality, in other words - of the players concerned. In the IFA's case, as we all know, eligible players must be British nationals who further satisfy the criteria laid down in article 16 of FIFA's statutes, even if they do possess Irish passports only.
In May of 2006, FIFA clarified their general passport rule for the IFA upon rejecting the association's proposal that those representing its teams ought to be allowed hold just an Irish passport and need not hold a British passport "in the light of the rather exceptional circumstances that exist in Northern Ireland":
However, FIFA granted the exception a month later after further deliberations with the IFA and involvement from Dermot Ahern, the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs:Originally Posted by The IFA
Originally Posted by Dermot Ahern
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 22/06/2011 at 7:34 AM.
Which always reminds me of this Simpsons gem...
Bob: Enough! Lies, lies, lies! I did it! I did it all! There. Is that what you want, you smarmy little *******s?
Bart: We want the truth!
Bob: You want the truth? You can't handle the truth. No truth-handler, you. Bah! I deride your truth-handling abilities!
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