Eligibility proposal

[Blanchflower]

Lopez and YoungIrish have Wikipedia.

We have Encyclopaedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article...reland-flag-of

And, ironically, Wikipedia too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

[geysir]

It would be helpful for the purposes of discussion if you quoted the statement.

I did exactly that in my reply,
read post 345 again.

[lopez]

Why on earth would it be an England flag??...Why use an England flag? Makes even less sense...If, by "crown property", you mean within the realm of the British sovereign, NI was "crown property" for many centuries before the design of the flag...

Think about it Einstein!

...Claiming the flag is based on the England flag is a common misconception, repeated by many ill-informed sources. CAIN is an example of this.

Well thanks for that (I note absolutely nothing to back this theory up: Very mature!). It's also a common misconception that the world is round. (My source: Torquemada )

Tell you what, although you've provided Jack sh*te in support of your argument, here's a site you should appreciate, written by someone with a similar mind and inteligence as yourself. Enjoy!

http://jahtruth.co.uk/uflag.htm

[Wolfie]

Turn up the aggro lads and put this tedious thread out of its misery.

[Blanchflower]

YoungIrish - I apologise - my above comment was made without having seen the below-quoted comment of your own, to which I will now respond.

Blanchflower if I gave the impression that the IFA disriminated in any way when picking Nationalists for the team then I apologise as this was not the point I was trying to make.

Apology accepted. Yes, you did give that impression.

Perhaps you could make your point in another way?

As for the flag and anthem I think you realistically must admit that they both only serve to obstruct more Nationalists from identifying with and therefore playing for the team.

I accept that they make it less likely for nationalists to identify with the team, but I do not accept that they have made it less likely for nationalists to play for the team. There have been no occasions when nationalists have refused to play for the team, and the current players like Gibson are a recent phenomenon with more complex reasons involved and in the context of the South changing its policy in respect of NI players. The evidence points - in stark contrast to what you say - to NI having always fielded mixed teams at all age levels and at senior level. I suggest therefore that you rephrase your statement about "representation".

Would you rather play for an Ireland team playing Amhrán na bhFiann as an anthem and using the tricolour as a flag or another Ireland team playing GSTQ as an anthem with the Union Jack and Ulster Banner (St George's Cross) waving in the stands? I rest my case your honour.

If I lived in the South I would not object to the Southern flag and anthem being used for any Southern teams and it would not stop me playing for them. Regarding all-Ireland teams, obviously there needs to be all-Ireland flags and anthems.

[geysir]

Hey Lopez were some Cypriot fans flying the flag of Famagusta or was that a jest?

[Blanchflower]

I did exactly that in my reply,
read post 345 again.

Sorry - rather than expecting people to wade through posts, refer back and cross-reference, it really would be helpful if you spelled out clearly what point you were making in response to what statement.

[ifk101]

If I lived in the South I would not object to the Southern flag and anthem being used for any Southern teams and it would not stop me playing for them.

There is no south, southern flag, or southern team(s).

Cork has independence

[geysir]

Sorry - rather than expecting people to wade through posts, refer back and cross-reference, it really would be helpful if you spelled out clearly what point you were making in response to what statement.

The statement in question is quoted by me in full in post 345 which immediatly follows your post of 344.
In such cases the onus would be on you to backtrack, (takes 3 seconds) if you were interested, rather than me quoting the whole of 2 long enough posts and violating the protocol of sensible foot ie standards.

[Blanchflower]

The statement in question is quoted by me in full in post 345 which immediatly follows your post of 344.
In such cases the onus would be on you to backtrack, (takes 3 seconds) if you were interested, rather than me quoting the whole of 2 long enough posts and violating the protocol of sensible foot ie standards.

Yes, I see the statement now. Remind me of your point and I will respond.

[Blanchflower]

There is no south, southern flag, or southern team(s).

No north either, then, I presume.

[lopez]

Hey Lopez were some Cypriot fans flying the flag of Famagusta or was that a jest?

I'm not 100% sure now. I saw a cyprus flag with Tottenham on it.

Anorthosis Famagusta currently play in the Cypriot league and are based in Larnaca, moving there after the Turkish invasion/liberation (I'm offending enough people on here, don't want to offend anyone else. ). That might have been the Famagusta I saw. However, as most of the Cypriot fans were over from London, Famagusta is highly represented in the London Greek Cypriot community.

[Gather round]

things have improved recently but nobody could claim that the NI football team is anywhere near equally representative of both the Nationalist and Unionist communities in the North. What right now, therefore do the IFA have to complain if a few of those same Nationalists want to play for a team that they feel more so represents them as Irish people

Bit of a roundabout argument, this. Our team isn't equally representative of nationalists mainly because they, er, tend to support your team

Your unfair implication is that we still discriminate against nationalists. Not so- they're self-evidently welcome in the support, the team and indeed the management.

[youngirish]

Lopez and YoungIrish have Wikipedia.

We have Encyclopaedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article...reland-flag-of

And, ironically, Wikipedia too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

Blanchflower in fairness a red cross on a yellow background represents the historic Flag of the province of Ulster. A red cross on a white background however is a totally different symbolic representation. It's a St George's cross. It is the exact definition of a St George's cross.

This is what the Ulster Banner depicts and I would argue this is what it was changed to specifically to depict.

[youngirish]

Bit of a roundabout argument, this. Our team isn't equally representative of nationalists mainly because they, er, tend to support your team

Your unfair implication is that we still discriminate against nationalists. Not so- they're self-evidently welcome in the support, the team and indeed the management.

A section of the support has discriminated against such nationalists in the recent past when most of these footballers would have been growing up. It's only in the past few years appropriate measures have been taken to improve the situation.

They still fly the Ulster Banner and play GSTQ though at games which was the main point I was trying to make so the team does not represent the cross community equally and nor can the IFA claim it does while this continues.

[ifk101]

No north either, then, I presume.

Oh there is. Just no south.

[Blanchflower]

Blanchflower in fairness a red cross on a yellow background represents the historic Flag of the province of Ulster. A red cross on a white background however is a totally different symbolic representation. It's a St George's cross. It is the exact definition of a St George's cross.

This is what the Ulster Banner depicts and I would argue this is what it was changed to specifically to depict.

No. It's the Ulster cross with the yellow background changed to white. As EG has pointed out, the St George's Cross is narrower.

Why would they use an England flag?

[Blanchflower]

Oh there is. Just no south.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Better tell Bertie and his ministers to remove themselves from the North-South Ministerial Council on which they represent the South.

[lopez]

Bit late I know, but got carreid away with EG's b*llocks.

Zzzzzzzz. Like you don't know that each "community" is largely defined by religious affiliation.

The key word here is 'largely'. It is not universal on either side.

Why on earth would the IFA fly the flag of another, rival country at its matches. What nonsense.

Because almost 50% of NI's territorial population consider that flag to represent them. If this is beyond the IFA to recognise, then surely they have no problem if these same people neither want to play for/or support NI.

All just a bit of crack.

Is that how you'd describe the singing of the Sash in Cardiff?

[Cowboy]

Hence the rules needed to be changed. Same as now - the South's citizenship laws being extra-territorial in nature create a disadvantage for one of FIFA's members, and potentially a dangerous precedent elsewhere.

An even more dangerous precedent would be set if they did change the rules which is why they suggested the compromise I would suggest.