NOVO - I’d rather face Celts than Jose

[Super_Ally 0]

I like Nacho a lot but don't see the point in supporting my country with non-countrymen in my team. Just what would I actually be supporting? I support my club and my country for different reasons - start playing foreigners for Scotland and the very reason I support my country would be severely diluted. I just don't see the point.

 

For me, whether he's eligible or not is moot.

 

Do you support the rugby team?

 

An awful lot of "foreigners" have played there. Hines for Scotland. Is Parks too? And many more before. The Welsh RFU have picked a number of foreigners. As have England with Lorenzo Bruno Nero Delaglio, and more recently the likes of Tuilagi and Hape.

 

The English cricket team and one point had a number of Welsh, Irish and South African players. Their best players recetnly have been SAffers.

 

The Scottish football team has of course picked a number of Englishman in Goram etc.

 

Though it does appear to be slightly more unacceptable in football with only those who have a very strong family link accepted.

 

The German team at the world cup recently had a lot of decent players from Poland in Klose and Podolski, Turkey in Ozil and there was a Mexican too.

 

Its hard to see where the line should be drawn on this.

[calscot 0]

I can see the point of the grand parent rule and could accept someone who was brought up as a child in their chosen country. The likes of Novo is just wrong - in any sport - especially when given the choice between playing for Scotland and his home country you know what it would be. There are some exceptions but you'd hope most of them are for people who genuinely feel they represent their country of choice.

 

And just because it happens elsewhere, doesn't make it right.

 

I need to look into Parks and Hines but I don't condone it if it's like Nacho.

 

To be honest I don't agree with foreign managers either and at least we probably won't be doing that again football wise.

[calscot 0]

Just looked up Parks on Wikipedia:

 

"Parks qualified to play for Scotland via his maternal grandfather who was born in Kilbirnie Ayrshire."

 

That seems to pass muster.

[calscot 0]

Hines is also ok: from the Scottish rugby website:

 

"Nathan, who qualifies for Scotland through a maternal grandfather from Govan in Glasgow".

 

Wonder if he's a Bear?

[calscot 0]

PS You can argue whether or not the grand parent rule is valid but it's a completely different argument from the Nacho case.

 

These guys may not be pure Scottish but they at least have a reasonable amount of Scottish DNA and therefore represent Scottish people in at least some way. I don't see how that applies to a possibly UK naturalised Spaniard who lived in Scotland for five years.

[craig 5,199]

Personally I think the grandparent rule IS valid. I can apply it to myself to an extent.

 

My parents were both born in Scotland and I was brought up Scottish even though I was born in England (Shhhhh). My son was born in Bermuda but also will be brought up to be Scottish.

 

But his options would only be Bermuda (by birth) or England (parents birth). The grandparents would bring in the Scottish emphasis. So without it he would not be able to play for the nation we would like him to (not that it is likely to happen anyway...).

 

If you go beyond the grandparent rule I think you are extending the family tree a bit too far.

 

But it could be that I think the grandparent rule is valid for selfish reasons.

[craig 5,199]

Back on topic.... Real won 3-0.

[calscot 0]

Craig, I think you've made a very good argument for the grand parent rule... it's an excellent example.

[calscot 0]

Forgot to point out that Goram had Scottish parents which is good enough for me.

 

Stuart McCall had a Scottish father as did Richard Gough and now Phil Bardsley.

 

Any others?

[calscot 0]

Found this article which I don't have a problem with and pretty much agrees with what I've said:

 

 

Scotland will bid to rewrite the rules on international qualification which could see non-Scots and asylum seekers becoming eligible for caps.

Under the proposal, a player need not have a direct blood connection with Scotland but would qualify instead if he had spent his formative years here growing up.

 

It would mean the likes of Hearts winger Andy Driver, English by birth but resident in North Berwick from 11 years old, leaping on to the Hampden radar. Sportsmail can reveal that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland met in Holland last month and agreed on a change to the bloodline agreement that currently takes the caps issue back to grandparents.

The brainchild of SFA chief executive Gordon Smith, the blueprint proposes a condition to allow any footballer who has spent five years or more in education in one of the Home Nations from below the age of 16 to become eligible for that country.

Smith believes the loophole is required to reflect changes in multi-cultural society over the past two decades, while trying to protect the basic bloodline stance.

But the SFA remain opposed to someone like Rangers star Nacho Novo, a resident here for eight years, from becoming eligible because he was an established professional when he moved from Spain.

England will be asked to rubber-stamp the new gentlemen's agreement when a l l f o u r Home Nations gather in a Northern Ireland hotel tomorrow for the annual meeting of the International Football Association Board, with FIFA chief Sepp Blatter in attendance.

'We were in Holland last month f o r a meeting of presidents and chief executives that was called by UEFA and we held talks on the cap eligibility issue with Wales and Northern Ireland,' revealed SFA president George Peat.

'There was unanimity between those three nations to stick by the previous Gentlemen's Agreement - which means caps are awarded on the basis of a bloodline to the country involved - with a player either born there, a parent born there or a grandparent born there.

'The only exception that will be added to that will be something to cover people who have grown up in Scotland. We were thinking of the case perhaps of an asylum seeker who has been to primary school here.

'We are looking at it to apply to those who have been in Scottish education for four or five years before the school leaving age - which would be 16 - and then became British passport holders. Essentially, these people regard themselves as Scottish.

'England were at the meeting in Holland but, unfortunately, the FA's representative did not have the authority for the issue we were discussing. They took it back to the FA.

'I've no doubt it will be raised on an informal basis when all four Home Nations gather in Northern Ireland.' Novo publicly declared his interest in playing for Scotland last October, even though it emerged he had not yet applied for a British passport.

That part of the saga was concluded when Smith declared Scotland would stick to the bloodline agreement. Ironically, Sportsmailunderstands that First Minister Alex Salmond is in favour of a 'foreign' player like Novo being considered for international recognition as part of Holyrood's 'inclusive Scotland' policy.

But Peat is also adamant there should be no green light for 'mercenary' professionals. He added: 'We have spoken about it with Wales and the Northern Irish and we don't want someone who has come over here as a player at the age of 19 or 20 and then stays a few years.

'The only change to the bloodline eligibility would be for someone here from a very young age.'

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1156743/Exclusive-Smiths-blueprint-open-door-non-Scots-playing-national-team.html#ixzz1fgT6KsOa