Eligibility Rules, Okay

[DannyInvincible]

Tranny rulers, surely?

Whatever the bigots might say, they're perfectly entitled to make the switch if they want.

[DannyInvincible]

Nothing really new here, but I happened to stumble upon this 2012 conference paper by a Dr. Dawn Walsh of DCU titled, 'Split allegiances, soccer and sectarianism: Is the FAI creating soccer sectarianism in Northern Ireland?': http://tutu.hope.ac.uk/media/liverpo...a,10803,en.pdf

It was delivered at a conference on sport, conflict and reconciliation at Liverpool Hope University in April of 2012. Unfortunately, it repeats and relies upon pretty much every misconception in the book. I'm surprised it's so misguided given that the CAS case of two years prior is explicitly mentioned in the opening.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has a long history of scouting young players from Britain who are eligible to play for the national team of the Republic of Ireland due to the fact their parents or grandparents were/are Irish. In many ways these efforts have been understandable as a small country sought to supplement its own pool of talent. In most instances the English Football Association, who the players could have alternatively declared for, have had no reaction; in the majority of cases these players were unlikely to be included in the English team due to greater competition. However where the FAI has targeted players who could alternatively being playing for Northern Ireland and are eligible to play for the Republic due to special arrangements, the reaction has been very different. Some of this is due to the fact that as a small region Northern Ireland’s Ireland Football Association (IFA) cannot afford to lose players to the Republic.

However the FAI’s effort to recruit these players is far more complex than this. The England born players who declare for the Republic of Ireland do so due to bloodline rules, they have Irish born grandparents or parents. The Northern Ireland born players who declare for the Republic of Ireland are able to do so even if they have no bloodline to the Republic due to the fact that they are entitled to an Irish passport under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. This rule has caused controversy with the Irish Football Association, appealing to both FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However both bodies have upheld this rule. This leaves soccer and the issue of international soccer on the island of Ireland in a difficult position. The players who declare for the Republic are almost entirely from the nationalist community. This drains the Northern Ireland team of talent from this community. This paper explores how this pattern is leading to a soccer team for Northern Ireland that is unrepresentative of the nationalist community and sectarian in nature. The difficulties facing the Northern Ireland football team are in many ways representative of the problems facing the region politically. There is a tension between a need to respect the distinct identities of the two main communities in Northern Ireland and the need to build a shared future. This paper looks at proposed solutions to the problems facing the Northern Ireland football team and how they feed into the larger political conflict surrounding identity.

[Stuttgart88]

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/looka...sion-fame.html

[Stuttgart88]

Nothing really new here, but I happened to stumble upon this 2012 conference paper by a Dr. Dawn Walsh of DCU titled, 'Split allegiances, soccer and sectarianism: Is the FAI creating soccer sectarianism in Northern Ireland?': http://tutu.hope.ac.uk/media/liverpo...a,10803,en.pdf

It was delivered at a conference on sport, conflict and reconciliation at Liverpool Hope University in April of 2012. Unfortunately, it repeats and relies upon pretty much every misconception in the book. I'm surprised it's so misguided given that the CAS case of two years prior is explicitly mentioned in the opening.

She talks about consociationalism so she must be right if she can use big words like that.

It looks like a very earnest, self-worthy piece of tripe basically.

[Gather round]

It looks like a very earnest, self-worthy piece of tripe basically

Indeed. Disappointing that an academic trots out the cliche that modern Irish history and football began in the 1990s. Give her a job on Sky Sports.

[Charlie Darwin]

Indeed. Disappointing that an academic trots out the cliche that modern Irish history and football began in the 1990s. Give her a job on Sky Sports.

Well that's just silly. Everybody knows it began in 1988.

[DannyInvincible]

So, Sean Lynch has been selected for the Croatia World Cup squad: http://www.joe.ie/football/world-cup...s-been-solved/

The appearance of one Sean Lynch in the Croatia squad for the World Cup on the ESPN mobile site last night prompted quite a lot of debate and numerous questions amongst Irish fans.

Who is this Sean Lynch? How have we never heard of him before? Surely, with a name like that, he must have a bit of Irish in him and if so, how did an association like the FAI, normally very good when it comes to unearthing eligible players for the national team, let him slip through the cracks?

Numerous Sean Lynches contacted JOE directly last night in scurrilous and mischievous attempts to claim that they had been summoned for World Cup duty by Niko Kovac, but as it turns out, the truth is far more innocent than that.

Thanks to the cunning detective work of Sherlock-like JOE readers Pauric McGlone and Gary Burke, we discovered that a simple Google Translate search of the name Sean Lynch from English to Croatian reveals that it was in fact Hamburg midfielder Milan Badelj who had been selected and not the unlikeliest sounding Croatian footballer in history.

Disappointing though it is to hear that there isn’t actually a footballer with Irish links making waves elsewhere in the football world, now that Milan’s secret is out, we think that it’s worth exploring the possibility of persuading the 25-year old to switch nations even at this late stage.

The fact that he has no Irish connections whatsoever apart from a name that conveniently translates into the most Irish name possible and the fact that he has already played for Croatia nine times might prove a problem, but hey, it worked for Tony Cascarino, right?

Why on earth would 'Milan Badelj' translate into 'Sean Lynch' though?

[tetsujin1979]

So, Sean Lynch has been selected for the Croatia World Cup squad: http://www.joe.ie/football/world-cup...s-been-solved/

Why on earth would 'Milan Badelj' translate into 'Sean Lynch' though?

you can suggest translations on Google Translate. Maybe somebody put a lot of time and effort into trolling the Croatian FA?

[Charlie Darwin]

Liverpool's Ryan McLaughlin has accepted a call-up for Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, reported MON target Nathan Redmond scored a hat-trick for England U21s in Wales tonight. Michael Keane and Harry Kane were also involved.

[DannyInvincible]

Liverpool's Ryan McLaughlin has accepted a call-up for Northern Ireland.

Nothing that will tie him, so no need to fret. Besides, do we know he has accepted? Remember when McClean and Duffy were last "selected" by Worthington?

Interestingly, I just came across this 2013 article which indicates that Worthington attempted to bring McClean into his senior squad in spite of knowing his ultimate dream was to represent Ireland: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...rthington.html

'When I did call him up, he told me it was his dream to play for the Republic so I don’t think he ever saw himself representing Northern Ireland at senior level – at any time.'

After much criticism for supposedly overlooking McClean, Worthington relented and later named him in the senior squad.

But hours before he was scheduled to meet up with the camp, he texted Worthington to say he would be pledging international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.

[Gather round]

Meanwhile, reported MON target Nathan Redmond scored a hat-trick for England U21s in Wales tonight. Michael Keane and Harry Kane were also involved

More cheerfully, my cousin's lad has been making an impression for Norwich's youth sides this term. Qualifies for you lot through his late grandad, but admittedly he is still only nine years old.

[Bungle]

Does anybody know were there attempts to call McLaughlin up to the u21s since he made himself unavailable for the North? It would seem that he made the decision not to accept the call up the last time in the hope that he would get a call up for us. No 18 or 19 year old turns down the chance to play international football unless their heart isn't in it and the word is he comes from a family that are massive Republic fans.

Personally, while I wouldn't view him as being ready for our squad given he's barely played more than a handful of games at a higher level than the Liverpool reserves, he's clearly a very talented lad. If Hodgson can be personally inviting Crowley to train with England, then I think we certainly can make a bit of an effort with McLaughlin. Even inviting him to go on the US tour would be important.

[tetsujin1979]

as far as I know, the FAI's policy is not to approach players who have previously appeared for the North, at any level, to declare for them, but they've made it clear that if said players approach them, they will be welcomed

[Gather round]

word is he comes from a family that are massive Republic fans

His brother played in a Euro 2012 qualifier for NI against Italy.

[Stuttgart88]

Yes, but have his sisters spoken to him since?

[DannyInvincible]

It would seem that he made the decision not to accept the call up the last time in the hope that he would get a call up for us. No 18 or 19 year old turns down the chance to play international football unless their heart isn't in it and the word is he comes from a family that are massive Republic fans.

Other than his family being Ireland fans, what makes you say that? As far as I know, he indicated to Michael O'Neill that he wanted to focus on his club career then but remained committed.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Is any of this anything new, though?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

His brother played in a Euro 2012 qualifier for NI against Italy.

Conor McLaughlin plays for Fleetwood Town in the fourth tier of English football. Ryan McLaughlin plays for Liverpool.

Pretty self-explanatory.

[DannyInvincible]

Not a major deal, but Conor was playing at a slightly higher level than League Two when he won his senior cap. He was with Preston North End in League One.

as far as I know, the FAI's policy is not to approach players who have previously appeared for the North, at any level, to declare for them, but they've made it clear that if said players approach them, they will be welcomed

How strict is this policy? I know, for example, Sean Caffrey point-blank refused to get in touch with an obviously-interested Shane Duffy until Duffy first made the call to the FAI to formally declare interest, but didn't EG once claim that Brian Kerr had contacted Chris Baird years ago? Aren't the FAI OK about approaching players who've played for other associations at youth level though? Presumably, someone's recently spoken to England under-21 Harry Kane about the possibility of representing us if O'Neill has been keeping tabs on him. Why should the FAI treat the IFA with some special deference anyway? This is the organisation that brought the FAI and Daniel Kearns to court in order to try and deprive Irish players of the option of declaring for us.

[geysir]

........... Why should the FAI treat the IFA with some special deference anyway? This is the organisation that brought the FAI and Daniel Kearns to court in order to try and deprive Irish players of the option of declaring for us.

If we allowed the IFA to be our moral and intellectual compass then where would we be? up to our neck in assorted paranoia mire? manning the radars?