Yeah some people try to go through loopholes because it is in their best interest... ... but there is no way, for example, you could say my mum isn't English... as I said above... she's the most English person I know... and she hasnt a drop of English blood. If she were less than half her age... a man... and good at football... it would be wrong to tell her she had to play for Hungary because she was born there. On the other hand.. I have American citizenship but would be wrong of me to play for USA because I ain't no yank. County cricket used to ban black people because "how could a black person be from that county?" I know plenty of immigrants in the us who are DEFINITELY American. I think it really varies by person. A lot of immigrants are immigrants... but many really become as culturally and mentally part of the country they move to. Nationality is a mental state. Janujizz probably isn't English and probably shouldn't play for England. Should be true to self and play for the nation he considers his true nationality. Plenty of foreign born that should be allowed though. If they really consider themselves english . Pepe Reina IS a scouser!
I personally though his comments were disgraceful and highly zenophobic. heres the thing. go back to the 80s and say john barnes would be called a jamaican not english. so right away theres one guy you could say whilshire is being quite BNP here. Now cut to today. who's english. Whilshire can turn his head o nthe team bus and awkwardly not look at raheem sterling if picked. oops! nice one jack stick your foot in it or what! Nationality is probably where he came form lets be honest, i do not think he was pointing at a chamberlain or walcott as not being english enough for his brown shirt comments. HOweve rif this very young 18 year old wants to declare for england having lived 5 years here? good luck to him... the enlgish cricket team have had zero issues picking south africa, wales and irelands pockets for player shave they? Whilshire is an asshole and i hope he gets his com uppances on it.
As is Jan Molby Don't different nations have different levels of qualification anyway. Germany used to have very strict eligibility rules.
Januzaj cannot play for England because of the agreement the home nations have in place. Its what stopped Angel Rangel playing for Wales last year.
I think it yet again shows the FA in poor light. A couple of weeks ago the FA was blaming clubs for bringing Players like this over and not giving young Englishmen the chance: now they're trying to get them in the England team before they've even really played for the club!!! The fact that this is being discussed seriously at all shows poor state of the England team in recent years.
They know he isn't eligible though so I wouldn't be surprised if they are just stirring this debate to stop people talking about the big games coming up and putting pressure on Hodgson & his players. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18833190 The Football Association of Wales has confirmed Swansea City defender Angel Rangel is not eligible to represent Wales. The 29-year-old has resided in Wales for five years since joining Swansea from Terrassa in June 2007. Rangel has made over 200 games for Swansea and was a regular in the Premier League last season. The FAW have confirmed Rangel is not eligible under an agreement the four home nations have lodged with Fifa. Other than birthplace, parents or grandparents players can only represent one of the home nations if they have had five years of continuous education up to the age of 18 in that country. That ruling, introduced by Fifa in 2009, has led to England-born Crystal Palace midfielder Andy Dorman winning three caps for Wales.
Why can't it just be as simple as you play for the country you were born in or the one that your mother was born in? None of this so many years in another country crap. I gave up watching athletics when athletes who had previously represented Nigeria at the highest level were now winning medals in distance running for Norway Football is heading that way.
Personally I would prefer it if it was the country where you were born with the only alternative being if you moved to the respective country up until the age of 5 (and have a parent from that country) and have remained there since.
My view is simple - If You're born in England or have English parents, then you can play for England. If you don't then play for the country you were born or your parents were born. If that's me being racist or labelled as anything else, I honestly couldn't give a ****. It just tells me the world has gone bonkers. My Mrs is Jamaican, all her family are Jamaican - she has lived In England since she was very young. She will always see herself as Jamaican, and she's proud of her roots. If I called her English, she'd probably slap me!! Someone posted that Jamajizz could play for over 5 different countries - now that is just plain ridiculous!!
Agree with this pretty much. Besides, the lad would have to be mental to pick England over the belgies, they have a great squad of players
I think there is a difference between trying to signup a kid who isn't even eligible to play for England yet, and someone whose family fled here from somewhere in Africa for the good of their kid and that child has spent most of their life here. Unfortunately getting a cut of point is always going to mean there are exceptions and loopholes that can be exploited by the player and country.
Zola Budd It's what makes me laugh at the boasting about the English top flight being the best as if that is some reflection on English football when it's the foreign players that make it what it is
