Could his recent comments about England team for English players be construed racist or xenophobic? Personally, I doubt if that was his intention, just wondering what people's take on it is.
Racist or xenophobic?? Nah!! Mixture of nationalism and stupidity/naivety. It would be interesting what he thinks I am I was born in India and moved to the UK when I was 11 and after 14 years I left (although I am back next year) my passport is English (GB), my mentality is English and I still have my english accent and more importantly I feel English so what does that make me? I know people who have been in England for a few months and be more English than most of us and I know people who have been there their whole lives and don't like it. That all being said the most idiotic thing in that article is this : FFS!!! He has grown up at Arsenal and is one of the most technically gifted youngsters we have ever had and he is still spouting this BRAVE and TOUGH crap - No wonder we suck.
I think he thought the question was going in one direction and then the reporter surprised him and took it in another direction. Really, the press need to be careful. Celebrities of all sorts are going to stop giving interviews altogether. Why anyone would want to be interviewed by one of these tabloids is beyond me. I just don't see the point of it all. It is really kindergarten stuff. They get him to say something fairly ambiguous and then make it out to be worse than it was. I agree with Jack, you shouldn't just be able to go and live in a country for 5 years and be allowed to play for that country. That doesn't mean that there are not special cases, refugee's etc. that shouldn't be allowed to play for a country after 5 years. It is a simple logic trick. Jack thinks you shouldn't always be allowed to play for England after 5 years, so the press twist it to mean that he said players should never be allowed to play for England after 5 years. The press are so dumb though, I don't know if they are doing it deliberately or if they are just plain rat-arse stupid.
Journalists are paid to get a story and sensationalise - I agree. But is a definitive statement not an implied one. Who knows what he is actually thinking or even what qualifies one to be English in his opinion, but there is no ambiguity in the words he chose and that is what he will be judged on. Sometimes players just say stupid things and the media just report it.
I really do not the English bit. I wonder if he means British, do you have to be English to play for England? I don't get his definition of what constitutes an English player. I agree he was naïve, the more he spoke on the matter the more ludicrous he sounds.
"is a definitive statement not an implied one. Who knows what he is actually thinking or even what qualifies one to be English in his opinion, but there is no ambiguity in the words he chose and that is what he will be judged on. Sometimes players just say stupid things and the media just report it." Hang on a minute, this is a definitive statement, but you (like the press) have leapt further than what he said. Living for 5 years in a country does NOT make you English. Also you might never live in England and still be English (ask the Falkland Islanders!) My son has NEVER lived in England, was not born in England, yet I (and FIFA) and probably Jack, would still consider him to be English. What Wilshere was pointing out was that residency does not convey Englishness, and I agree with him.
Fair Enough! Maybe I am jumping into what he said. As I feel are you we both seem to be inferring from our own bias. Maybe I should give him more of the benefit of the doubt but he should definitely use a better choice of words if he is choosing to jump on the Nationality Issue or at least expand his point.
I don't think he is being xenophobic or racist but in this 'sensationalist' day and age, the press are gonna come after him. After his whole 'smoking' debacle, he has just made himself an easy target.
When I read it I did think he was sounding like a right wing nationalist, England for England, living here for 5 year don't make you English etc, that is the type of talk coming out from those circles. Anyways, Adnan shouldn't play for England, they're quality is ****, and they will most likely stifle his play for the team.
Well whatever his thoughts on the topic are he has to have the minimum intelligence required to know how that kind of statement could be interpreted, and adjust his language accordingly. His statements don't only affect him. Frankly guys like him, Frimpong, Szczesny aren't the brightest ambassadors of the game, and I would fully understand if they ranked high among the most disliked characters in the game for neutrals (well, if Frimpong mattered enough). I would personally love it if they kept their mouth shut for matters that aren't relevant for them to comment. At least Jack is a decent footballer who seems to behave relatively well in the field (if he could tone down the constant bitching to the ref, would be better of course).
Shezza and Frimmy have said silly things on other issues, I think this one is a bit worse because it comes off as political, and right wing, ENGLAND FOR ENGLAND type sh!t. I can understand the logic, no foreign players for a national team, but the way he said it, it doesn't appear he meant just that, like going on to say that living in England for 5 years doesn't make you English, that's the nationalist rhetoric type talk, and seems to be more than just a football related issue.
I understood it as the national team shouldn't go the route of the club model (albeit with limitations), "scouting" for potential young talent that can be brought in and naturalized just for the purpose of playing for the national team.
These are footballers, not politicians who are groomed, taught and nurtured to say the right thing to the media. It's unfortunate that what he has said has been blown out of proportion but these guys aren't hired for being eloquent.
I have to agree - Living in England for 5 years doesn't magically make you english... The problem lies in what definition we are using for "English". I know people who have lived in England for 20-30 years and are not even remotely English and other people who are here for a couple of years and completely adopt the English culture as there own.
The thing is, with Januzaj particularly, England was probably never an option for him. Even if he comes good and is still desired, he would have to wait 3 more years (a WorldCup and EURO) to be eligible. Just the fact that there are currently about 3 articles on him on the front page of the BBC is ridiculous, let alone Wilshere getting asked about such things. But I guess nothing else worthy of mention is happening in ManUland.
All he's guilty of is oversimplifying a complicated issue which is hardly surprising, he's a footballer. He was clearly talking in the context of football so I don't see what the fuss is about and I can't say I've seen much fuss about it either.
Some other sportsmen turn on Jack for his comments: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...enal-star-wades-England-selection-debate.html
Jack is right tho and inho Pietersen should NOT be playing for england . Its obvious to anyone except Pietersen and Fashanu ? perleeeease , you dont even qualify to comment mate , you just about qualified as a footballer so zip it . !
parents, nationality and citizenship should determine who you play for. if i have lived in a country all my life am i a citizen of that country or not ? if i am born in a country then that is the country of my birth and gives me my nationality, but that doesn't make me a citizen of that country [especially if i don't live there]. there are plenty of Scots/Irish/Welsh people who are born in England but as there parents are from Scotland/Ireland/Wales they wouldnt consider themselves English
