Wilson called to the Dark Side

[deiseach]

That's very harsh. At 17, most can be very easily lead by people that don't necessarily have their best interests at heart.

Possibly. But if he had played for the senior team at 17 then decided he wanted to play for the Republic, would you be so blasé?

[deiseach]

I wonder will he find the FAI anymore organised than the IFA?

Two words: Cork City

[Billys Boots]

Four more: Cork Hibernians Cork Celtic

[The Subbie]

five more, ten year "aviva" stadium tickets 

[saffron sam2]

A fairly emotive issue for some, but I would like to add my tuppence worth.

I have no interest whatsoever in the ROI soccer team and would have an equal amount of interest even if said team comprised 11 'northerners'.

Whilst it may be bad form to change allegiance after having played for underage (and indeed B) teams, it is also entirely predictable. Well, predictable to anyone with a bit of cop-on. It should also be pointed out that at schoolboy level, there is a requirement to play for the team where you school is located - there was a case recently of a Cavan youngster playing for NI because he went to school in Fermanagh).

In all my time dealing with young boys from west Belfast (including several who have 'declared' for the ROI) I have never ever met one whose ambition it was to represent NI. They are, to a man (or boy), ROI supporters. Our school (and indeed many others) raised a fair bit for charity by showing the midweek Republic matches at Japan / Korea live in the assembly hall. That wouldn't have happened had NI been playing.

I have also never ever met a conscientous objector, namely someone who won't play for an IFA / NISFA team even though it may damage their future career.

What I have met is several boys who will do whatever it takes to further any potential career. Boys will represent NI in the Victory Shield because it gives them live TV exposure and to turn down such an appearance would lead potential suitors to question if they are good enough ("If they can't make the NI schoolboys' team they cant be that good"). They represent NI in the knowledge that they will be declaring for ROI at the time when it best suits their career path.

Players who feel they have a better chance of making the NI squad (a la porn star Michael O'Connor) will remain there; other like Mark Wilson will see only Richard Dunne ahead of him in the queue and will fancy their chances of being picked ahead of John O'Shea or Sean St Ledger.

The use of words like 'tapping' and 'poaching' are erroneous becuase in my experience, the first approach (or declaration) has always come from the player, not the IFA.

My opinion is that those born in (or with close family ties to) the area under the IFA's control should play for the IFA teams and those born in (or with close family ties to) the area under the FAI's control should play for the FAI teams. However I fully understand that the issue is not as black and white as that, partly because of the society we live in, but also because of the IFA's attitude.

FIFA is shit scared of nationality issues (not just an Irish problem, remember Tim Cahill) and have and will continue to allow anyone born in Ireland to declare for either side.

The IFA should be looking at what to do to address this issue. They could possibly get a clue next week as they belt out GSTW as the discredited Ulster banner hangs limply in the dank Tirana air. They could also check whether or not it is a good idea to discuss protocol for anthems with nationalist youths (It's not by the way - bad move).

[rossie mad]

I dont have much interest but out of curiousity can anyone from the north play for the republic if they havnet played in a competative for the north even though they might have played all the way up?

This seems to be a bit stupid to be honest as why would you change allegiance if you were there all your playing career before this.

Didnt tim cahill switch from the solomon iskands to Oz for the simple reason of playing in the world cup even though he had no connection with Oz playing internationaly.

i personnally think if a young fella decides to play with the north he should stick with it and the FAI should turn him away as he didnt declare from under age in the first place.

If the North had qualified for a major tournament would he have done this?
Highly unlikely.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

I dont have much interest but out of curiousity can anyone from the north play for the republic if they havnet played in a competative for the north even though they might have played all the way up?

This seems to be a bit stupid to be honest as why would you change allegiance if you were there all your playing career before this.

Didnt tim cahill switch from the solomon iskands to Oz for the simple reason of playing in the world cup even though he had no connection with Oz playing internationaly.

i personnally think if a young fella decides to play with the north he should stick with it and the FAI should turn him away as he didnt declare from under age in the first place.

If the North had qualified for a major tournament would he have done this?
Highly unlikely.

Rossie Saffron Sam2 has pretty much put it in a nutshell re: Belfast lads, probably same could be said for around the 6. Everyone is entitled to change their mind, as long as the regs allow it.

[mountainboii]

I dont have much interest but out of curiousity can anyone from the north play for the republic if they havnet played in a competative for the north even though they might have played all the way up?

This seems to be a bit stupid to be honest as why would you change allegiance if you were there all your playing career before this.

Didnt tim cahill switch from the solomon iskands to Oz for the simple reason of playing in the world cup even though he had no connection with Oz playing internationaly.

i personnally think if a young fella decides to play with the north he should stick with it and the FAI should turn him away as he didnt declare from under age in the first place.

If the North had qualified for a major tournament would he have done this?
Highly unlikely.

Other way round I think. Cahill was born and raised in Australia but has a Samoan mother. He represented Samoa at underage level in some bullshit competition when he was ridiculously young, about 13 or 14.

[deiseach]

They could also check whether or not it is a good idea to discuss protocol for anthems with nationalist youths (It's not by the way - bad move).

Thank God you told me, I'd never have known *sarcasm detector explodes*

[rossie mad]

I see your point GDA but what im afraid whats happening here is that we are politicising the issue beyond what it should be.

Football be should be just about football not political allegiances.

I dont have much experience of northern football or its international side as it doesnt pass me a thought what they do but why should a lad be allowed change if he was happy with them up to this.

If a nationlist family believe their son is good enough at u-14 or u-16 level should they not align themselves with the republic then instead of down the line when everyone can see he has talent and he has plyed his international apprenticeship with a different country.

I dont mind lads declaring for the republic if they nationally feel that they are been discrimanated against by staying with the north but i still feel if the north were in a tournament this year like the world cup this lad would be singing GSTQ in johannsburg come june.

[blewuporstuffed]

How come mcginn & mccourt declared for the north rathern than the republic?
was this rule only brought in after they had already played for the north?

[Orior]

How come mcginn & mccourt declared for the north rathern than the republic?
was this rule only brought in after they had already played for the north?

Ever heard of a trojan horse?

[Main Street]

Other way round I think. Cahill was born and raised in Australia but has a Samoan mother. He represented Samoa at underage level in some bullshit competition when he was ridiculously young, about 13 or 14.

Thats about right, I don't know what Saffron Sam is referring to when using Tim Cahill as an example of FIFA being shit scarred of nationality issues.
FIFA bent over backwards to allow Cahill to declare for who ever was his fancy.
There was no big pressure on FIFA at that time, no federations warring over Tim's right to declare for them.
It was an interesting case which caught the attention and eventually led to removal of the age limit of 21 for dual national eligible players who had been tied to one federation after being capped in some meaningless underage international.

On the substantive issue of the FIFA eligibility
in their last major review in 2008 after the IFA complaints over Gibson, FIFA actually looked at the Irish citizenship laws as well as the GFA and rewrote their law as to confirm and spell out clearly the rights of players with automatic citizenship to declare for that representative team although they are born in another federation area. The main eligibility rule was drawn straight from the Ireland experience.
All the other rules of eligibility give priority to federation territory.
IMO it would not have been such a complicated matter for FIFA to rule at that time that a player born in a federation's territory can't declare for another federation unless he has some blood or residence ties to that federation's territory.
So I do not see FIFA as being shit scared of nationality issues. They made a series of wise considered decisions which made it into the statutes to favour automatic citizens born outside the boundaries of a federation of little relevance, namely the FAI.

[lynchbhoy]

...anyhow in a few short years, FIFA wont have to worry about this problem when the north of Ireland team ceases to exist !

[Main Street]

You manage to be both positive and negative within that same short statement, LB