His educated opinion is that only "English" people should play for England. No definition of English of course. Apply his logic to all sport and half the "English " cricket team is out, Mo Farrah is out, and so it goes on. Footballers repeatedly show what absolute dopes they are off the pitch, and young Jack is right up there. It's said that if a footballers mouth is open, he's talking rubbish. Seems that's mostly true.
Jack Wilshere ‏@JackWilshere 1h My view on football - going to a new country when ur an adult, & because u can get a passport u play 4 that national team - I disagree Totally agree with jack. You shouldn't be aloud to play for England if you have no connection with the country. I agree with players like Zaha, Chalobah etc should be aloud to play as they were brought up in England, but Januzaj? No chance.
He has clarified those earlier comments on twitter as Purely points out, and I agree with him. I think it's totally pathetic that the FA are even entertaining the idea of trying to get this United kid to play for us, it sets a very dangerous precedent and smacks of total desperation on the FA's part.
If he had "no connection" with the country, he wouldn't be eligible to play for it. Think you mean " Allowed".
Wrong on both counts. It is light years from being a precedent , and it smacks of nothing except total compliance with the rules and the fact that civilised nations, for hundreds of years have allowed people to give up or change citizenship , or become citizens of another Country in accordance with their circumstances. Mathew Le Tissier had dual citizenship, just like the Man Utd "kid", and he chose England. So did Harry Kewell, who didn't choose England. So did Christian Vierri, who chose Italy over Australia.So did Sir Bradley Wiggins, with an Aussie father and English mother. This is nothing new to sport or most people, just new apparently to the vastly inexperienced, unworldly and not very bright Jack Wilshere. Jack would do well to play better on the pitch and keep his opinions to himself. As for Jack's twitter account twitter ?? Simply a venue for people, especially footballers, to confirm their stupidity.
I don't see the issue here. I agree with him. If you're not born and raised in the country or at least lived in it for the majority of your childhood, you shouldn't be eligible to play for its national side.
If Roy Hodgson or anyone else a part of the England set-up has actually been monitoring Adnan Januzaj and considering the notion of him playing for the national sides they should have their heads examined. Let's firstly forget about the idea that one good game against the league's bottom team has already elevated him to being talked of as being the next big thing. Right now he is 18 years old and will not be able to make a single appearance for England for at least another 3-5 years and is currently allowed to play for either Albania, Belgium, Serbia or Turkey. For him to remain eligible to at some point play for England, he will not be able to make a single cap for any of those national sides at any level until he is 21 and has acquired English citizenship. After that, FIFA's rules may still not allow him to play for England until he is 23 years old. If by that point he is still good enough to be playing for Manchester United and good enough for England, there is no way he won't have played for one of those four, especially Belgium and Turkey. By that time Hodgson most likely won't even be the manager.
Have to say I was waiting for this to come up. Jack the lad has said something that put in the right manner wouldn't have made him look like a racist twat. In principle I understand what he means but he went about it all wrong. People shouldn't be allowed after many years of living in another country to just rock in and play for us. However those that do have a connection (example; did anyone complain when Owen Hargreves pulled on a jersey?) have a connection, no matter how relative, as long as it is blood they should be allowed.
I think that goes too far. You can be born elsewhere and still consider yourself Englsh for lots of reasons. Parents may work abroad, fleeing some war-ravaged ****hole etc. Terry Butcher was born in Singapore.
Really don't think that's the issue, though all you say is correct. It's not the FA in the spotlight ( for once) it's Jack Wilshire giving us all the benefit of his huge experience and considered judgement of who can and can't represent England. Jack has not presented a very strong case for his being more than a footballer, and he should leave issues of nationality and racism to those who know better.
Spot on Tots fan. incredible to see so many youngsters are total ludites on the wider issues of immigration and eligibility. Could it be that our Jack is a tad worried the "Man Utd "kid might be better than him ????
Why not. If you've settled here and have a passport you are as British as I am for every other purpose. Why should you be banned from representing your country?
Because its all gone overboard over the last decade or so. Legally they can play because the law tells us they can but in reality its all wrong really. You are what you are because its your identity your one snapshot in a lifetime. For me he is Belgian and will be as long as he has a hole in his arse.
Owen Hargreaves has English origins though. My comment was more for those who have no former affiliation with the country other than having moved to it and gained residency at a later stage in their life. In Hargreaves' case, he should be able to play for any one of Canada, England or Wales.
It's the media who decide who the spotlight is focused on. What has happened here is what they do all the time. They have asked him a specific question and after he has given a full answer they don't include the question which was asked of him, they cut down what he said and to top it off misquote him in order to, in this case, try and pass him off as an ignorant and uneducated xenophobe and imply that that is the mentality of the typical English footballer. Yet even then he still manages to make a valid point, which just show how much of a non-story this was in the first place.
If we're getting to the stage where's that's the only criteria required, we may as well bin international football altogether. We already have club football which is supposed to be for players of all nationalities and backgrounds. At the very least the players should be a representation of the country which they are playing for. The culture, the language, their style of play, their football philosophy etc. If they haven't been born there, lived there for the majority of their childhood or have origins from that particular country, they will not have properly embraced all of that or feel any true affinity towards them.
