Ivory Coast kid Abdul Razak wants to play for England

[lionheart]

If the "has to be born in England" rule was to apply, we would have very few decent cricketers playing in our national team. Also, my daughter was born in Saudi Arabia, where she spent the first 3 years of her life. Does that mean we should destroy her British passport?

 

[citysince88]

So he wants to represent the nation that gave him a chance to be successful, the chance to live in peace, instead of one which is at war with itself. Who the fuck are we to tell him no, if he feels some sort of allegiance to England, which is understandable, and it is within the established rules of football then good for him.

Just my opinion though.

 

[Alex the Blue]

When we last won the league back in 1968 it was with a team of all English men. The manager, coach and backroom staff were all English. The chairman and board of directors were also English.

Perhaps International football is just a reflection of club football in the 21st Century.

 

[RACHACE]

If the "has to be born in England" rule was to apply, we would have very few decent cricketers playing in our national team. Also, my daughter was born in Saudi Arabia, where she spent the first 3 years of her life. Does that mean we should destroy her British passport?

We are not talking about a passport, we are talking about representing a country in a professional sport.

In the case of youngsters moving to a country when they are very young, I can see how and why they can be eligible to represent both the country they were born in and the country that they actually grew up in.

However a 15 year old who has been born and brought up in his/her native country then moved to another country shouldn't be allowed to represent the country that they have moved to. Unless of course they have some heritage in his parents or grandparents.

 

[grunge]

Some people on here seem to be painfully naive about the story behind how Abdul Razak got to be in the country.

He was brought over here by his football team when he was 15, when he was abandoned by that team in a strange country , the UK allowed him to stay as he was a minor ( I assume the IC didn't bother trying to get him back). doing this England became his adoptive country, when he was 18 he was granted a work permit to play at City, and now, if this story is true he is applying for full residency to his adoptive homeland and should be allowed to play for England.

The national team is made up by people of the nation, people are granted nationalisation and therefore are of this nation after that point, Birth place while important is not the be all and end all.

Edit: in terms of sport, the player should not be allowed to move national team if they have already played for a nation.