New International Qualification Rules

[C C Csiders]

Absolutely ridiculous. Ryan Shawcross can play for Wales because he went to school there for 5 years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18786041

I'm thinking of giving Chris Coleman a call because, in a drawer somewhere at home, I've got one of those Marie Curie daffodil cancer badges.

 

[Beefy]

Coleman mentions Angel Rangel there, who has played for Swansea for five years and probably hadn't heard of the place before then. Ridiculous.

 

[C C Csiders]

I can see a whole raft of players being called up by Chris Coleman for tenuous links to being Welsh. Will we see the likes of Daniel (Sheepsh) Agger and Joey Baa-rton being called up? Carlton Coal? Adam Leek Fondre? Surely Mark Gower (Peninsula) can expect a call. Not forgetting Joseph Yobo (it's an anagram of Boyo).

 

[Jam_Man]

yeah thought the rules changed a while ago which is why the Almunia could play for England as he has lived here so long.

Happens in football manager which I understand isnt real life, but they do try to mirror the rules.

 

[C C Csiders]

yeah thought the rules changed a while ago which is why the Almunia could play for England as he has lived here so long.

Happens in football manager which I understand isnt real life, but they do try to mirror the rules.

It's not so much the residency rule that I'm complaining about. It is the where you went to school rule - a complete nonsense!

 

[Reg Martin]

Just goes to prove what I said on the tennis thread the other day... Andy Murray is English!

 

[Grayson]

I thought the four British FAs had a gentleman's agreement not to use the residency qualification rule. Maybe not then.

 

[steveo]

They could stop all his nonsense quite easily and restrict it to the country you were actaully born in. No more arguments.

 

[canveyshrimper]

They could stop all his nonsense quite easily and restrict it to the country you were actaully born in. No more arguments.

If that were the case Terry Butcher would have played for Singapore!!

 

[Jam_Man]

Has to be a little flexibility, if your English parents are working in another country for a year and you are born abroad then you should still be English.

When it gets tricky is if you have English parent like Kevin Pieterson does yet was born and raised in South Africa and didnt come over here till he was 20 or so. I dont class him as English, yet he would qualify.

Jack Charlton's Ireland was of course based on these types of players through grandparents which is for me far too removed.

To qualify for a country because you have lived there for X amount of years is plain wrong and to do so because you went to school is worse.

If they keep this up then international football will be completely devalued.

 

[steveo]

If that were the case Terry Butcher would have played for Singapore!!

So? At least everyone would know where they stand. Cascarino should never have played for Eire.

 

[canveyshrimper]

So? At least everyone would know where they stand. Cascarino should never have played for Eire.

I think Jam Man got it about right, if you are born in another country because your parents are working there it shouldn't affect your chances of playing for the country of their birth. Cricketer Ted Dexter would have played for Italy having been born in Milan, and Colin Cowdrey for India having been born in Bangalore.

I do agree that people like Cascarino should never have played for Ireland on the spurious reason that his great grandmother had an Irish Setter as a pet. And plenty o others who've used the qualification rules to their advantage.

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Ultimately this doesn't make a huge difference, as it's only the smaller (poor) nations who ever get anything out of it, so won't accept the super powers in football.

Shawcross is never going to play for England, so I don't see an issue, it's about as tenuous as how they got Freddy to play for Wales.

Angel Rangel would be wrong though, the same as Almunia or Arteta for England.

 

[Jam_Man]

Well in most cases it wont affect England as other players who are better than we have will choose their own country.

However if there was a player from San Marino who turned out to be the next Messi and had a grandma from Catford then it would be a different matter.

Personally the furthest Id want a player to be able to go back to is parents, and even then Id prefer English born/raised players, even if it means we continue to suck.

When teams are fielding none nationals it devalues it for me. Ireland did it big time and Scotland are as well now I believe. You could say the same with us and Owen Hargreaves.

England for the English!
(first time Ive wanted to use right wing statements!)