NI boss targets Republic's Gibson

[Bucky-O'Hare]

Have we?

I seem to recall having to provide details of grandparents born in ROI on a previous passport applciation.

If u were born on the island of Ireland you were entitled to an Irish passport over the "border". Who did u have to provide those details too?

[cheifo]

I was simply making the point that nobody on here has the slightest interest in the ramblings of you or Ealing Green or your sad statelet team. And what anthem you play in front of your 'team' is your business.

Paddy was there any need for that comment?As football supporters they are entitled to comment on an issue which affects them directly.BTW If you have been keeping up with current events we are not in a position to refer to any other national team as "sad".

[Lionel Ritchie]

Every need. These guys are tolerated far too much on here, some almost fawn at their ramblings. Go visit their forum and see how welcome you are made.

I posted on their for two years and never had any serious problems. Generally just the occasional odd-ball who doesn't want to read opinions of those who don't see things his way. But you get that on every board. Wonder why some people bother logging in to get offended myself...

[Réiteoir]

There's something very wrong when someone, who has never set foot in Ireland, and neither has his parents, and neither has their parents bar one 100 year old oul lad who could have moved to England when he was 12, who has represented England at junior level, who is English, who has previously held an English passport, who has cheered on England as a child, who just wants to play for any international team to further his career and who couldn’t give two ****s about the country can play for Ireland.

However a lad born in Ireland, who is Irish, who carries an Irish passport, who considers Dublin the capital of his country, thinks himself nothing but Irish and who can legally be classed as Irish can't.

The mind well and truly boggles.

[liaml]

This decision just saddens me.

It means my son cannot represent the country

1. He was born in.
2. Has a passport for
3, Who's kit he wears when training with his school and local team.
4. Who's players posters are plastered all over his room.
5. That he goes abroad with me to watch away games

and finally...

6. Is intensely proud of.

The FAI has got to appeal this decision.


-Liam

[paul_oshea]

Liam, I sent that on to the FAI, not that it will probably do anything, but I think TP is right. I also wrote something along "dont abondon them like all those years ago either"

[lofty9]

This decision just saddens me.

It means my son cannot represent the country

1. He was born in.
2. Has a passport for
3, Who's kit he wears when training with his school and local team.
4. Who's players posters are plastered all over his room.
5. That he goes abroad with me to watch away games

and finally...

6. Is intensely proud of.

The FAI has got to appeal this decision.


-Liam

Can players without British Passports play for NI? Wasn't there some sort of decision made by FIFA or UEFA stating this? I'm asking this as I know quite a lot of schoolkids from Derry playing football and their families all have Irish Passports for them. If the IFA call them up do they have to produce the British passport to play?

[EalingGreen]

[QUOTE=lofty9;799306]Can players without British Passports play for NI? Wasn't there some sort of decision made by FIFA or UEFA stating this? I'm asking this as I know quite a lot of schoolkids from Derry playing football and their families all have Irish Passports for them. If the IFA call them up do they have to produce the British passport to play?[/QUOTE]

Absolutely not; so long as he is otherwise eligible to represent the IFA under FIFA Rules, any NI player may hold whatever Passport, or combination of Passports, he likes - British, Irish, Nigerian, Columbian or whatever!

In fact, the "decision" you refer to followed a case of a UEFA under-age Tournament somewhere in Europe where UEFA employed Monitors to check players' ID and age etc (i.e. to avoid ringers, or overage players). There was a problem when one youngster who had dual nationality presented his "other" Passport as ID (i.e. not of the country he was representing). So as to avoid confusion for their Monitors, UEFA sent out a Directive that players must present the Passport of the country which they are representing.

When the IFA heard this, they realised this would present a unique problem for NI, since the "appropriate" Passport which UEFA would now expect to see would be a UK one i.e. the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Several NI players do not possess (or want) a UK Passport. Therefore the IFA* successfully lobbied UEFA for their players to be allowed to present an Irish Passport instead, should they prefer.


* - Several local politicians attempted to stick their nose in and claim the credit, incl. the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister, but as was subsequently revealed, they never even got to meet anyone from UEFA over this, never mind were in a position to exert any influence!

[Absinthe]

This decision just saddens me.

It means my son cannot represent the country

1. He was born in.
2. Has a passport for
3, Who's kit he wears when training with his school and local team.
4. Who's players posters are plastered all over his room.
5. That he goes abroad with me to watch away games

and finally...

6. Is intensely proud of.

The FAI has got to appeal this decision.


-Liam

I would get all misty eyed, if your post wasnt inaccurate.

Your son is more than welcome to play for the country he was born in, this is something that this ruling will promote.

The problem is that you dont want your son to play for the country that he was born in, thats not the same thing.

--------

And, as far as going to Laganside courts to appeal this decision, or the highest court in the land........fill your boots. FIFA do not report to any countrys justice system, and therefore will not give a rats ass. They run the football world, and if the FAI dont want to follow their rules, they will not be eligible for any of their tournaments.

The only place you can realistically go, is the Court for the Arbitration of Sport (CAS), whose decisions FIFA pretty much abide by.

---------

And as for your comparisons with the former Yugolavia, there is a FIFA statute in place for that. It covers a Country's boundries changing though political means, which has not happened in this case.

If I remember correctly the players, were given the choice of which country they wanted to represent. After Serbia and Montengro split and join FIFA as two seperate teams, I would expect that the same rules as apply here to be applied. i.e. You would need to be born in the appropriate territory, or your parents, or their parents, which should safeguard peoples choices for 70 odd-years.

As a final thought, do you not think its fair enough that if your family havent been born in a country for 3 generations, that you should be able to represent them at International Level?

[Absinthe]

[quote=Tuff Paddy;799393]Northern Ireland's pool of players gets smaller by the week! [quote]

How does Northern Ireland's pool of players get smaller by the week?

In time there will come a day when a very talented young man will want to play for his country and FIFA will have to rule on it.
You can't force nationality on people, as much as you think you can. Those days are gone pal.

Im not trying to force anything on anyone. I merely pointed out an inaccuracy in his post. He said that his son cant play for the country he was born in, that is a lie. He and/or his son dont want to play for the country they were born in, and thats a seperate issue. They are certainly not prevented from doing so (except by the lack of talent, that afflicts us all! )

Funny how you pop up on here with your 1 post. You'll be looking for tickets next!

Everyone has to start somewhere, and there is absolutely no danger of me looking for tickets.

[paul_oshea]

In time there will come a day when a very talented young man will want to play for his country and FIFA will have to rule on it.

unfortunately TP, I cant see that happening, with more and more immigrants in the north, they only know one thing and thats living in britain, they havent any connection to the land in any way northern nationalists/republicans do. THere children will be the exact same. Eventually beliefs get watered down....by bigger things like money

Unfortunately, its one of the things people forget when dealing with immigration and "what makes one, Irish"*

*can be applied to any nationality....

[bennocelt]

I have to say i find this decision dreadful, and cant see how it would hold up in a decent court of law.........

if this is the case, then what are Derry City doing playing in the Eircom league?

[geysir]

I have to say i find this decision dreadful, and cant see how it would hold up in a decent court of law.........

What decision are you talking about?
Stan's sacking?
There has been no decision uttered by FIFA.

[Absinthe]

I have to say i find this decision dreadful, and cant see how it would hold up in a decent court of law.........

if this is the case, then what are Derry City doing playing in the Eircom league?

Why do Monaco play in the French League?

FIFA and UEFA have sanctioned it. Its a fall-out from the troubles and to do with the location of the Brandywell, amongst other reasons. Both the IFA and the FAI agreed to their switch.

And as stated in the above post, in footballing matters, FIFA are above the law, so feel free to take this to any court of law you like. They are powerless.

For your arguement to be correct, Cliftonville (for example) would also play in the Eircom League.

And Geysir, is also correct, FIFA have not made an official statement yet, although I would be surprised if it isnt the same as what has been reported in the media.

[CollegeTillIDie]

I have to say i find this decision dreadful, and cant see how it would hold up in a decent court of law.........

if this is the case, then what are Derry City doing playing in the Eircom league?

Derry City are in the Eircom League by consent of both the IFA and FAI and it is blessed by UEFA. This is the same principle by which Berwick Rangers play in Scotland and FC Vaduz from Liechtenstein are permitted to play in the Swiss Second Division.

[galwayhoop]

Maybe something akin to the practice of the IRFU would be a step forward?

i just knew you were a closet supporter of an All Ireland Team

[shakermaker1982]

Any person born on the island of Ireland is entitled to Irish citizenship.
That person therefore carries an Irish passport.
That person can therefore play for the Republic of Ireland.
End of discussion.

Exactly.

[paul_oshea]

I think a compromise should be reached. Taking into account the Derry situation.

Anybody born on the 32 County Island of Ireland can play for either Northern Ireland or the Republic Of Ireland, with either a British Passport or an Irish Passport. Therefore the likes of fbtn or whatever he is called can play for Northern Ireland like he so wishes. I think this is the fairest compromise of all. Who agrees?

[greendeiseboy]

remember this was the fai(l) that went to fight our corner the same pi*s artists who put the rainbow coalition of zippy, bungle, george and geoffrey in charge of the team

[cavan_fan]

Any person born on the island of Ireland is entitled to Irish citizenship.
That person therefore carries an Irish passport.
That person can therefore play for the Republic of Ireland.
End of discussion.

Sadly not. The mistake here is in the 3rd line. What worries FIFA is that any country can give passports to whoever they want, it means nothing. They are in seriouos danger of getting into the situation that athletics is in that Middle Eastern countries will give passports to talented Brazilian footballers to play for them. Can we all agree this is not the point of International football. Therefore you cant use passports as the deciding factor. FIFA have decided to use place of birth. They have also, preumably decided not to have an Irish excpetion (that's a pity I think).

One thought, I keep hearing how Carlo Cudicini is elgible to play for England now through residency. Is this true and if so isnt the solution for th epeople in question to live and play in the south for a few years?