FIFA says yes to the boys in green
There has been some heated debate, and even more heated debate about the situation regarding footballers from Northern Ireland declaring for the Republic of Ireland. The IFA is also confused so it seemed only sensible for Slugger to ask FIFA’s legal department what the exact situation is.Here is the reply received in its totality:
“Your question makes reference to the requirements imposed on players terms of nationality. In order for a footballer to play for his association, he must hold the nationality of the country that this association represents. Once a player has represented an association in an international official match at any age category, he is no longer eligible to play for a different association.
An exception to this rule is contained in art. 15.3 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes. A player whose nationality entitles him to play for more than one association (as is the case with the UK passport) or who is holder of more than one nationality, can apply to change association. This possibility, however, is limited to those players who have not played at “A” international level and who already had the nationality of the association that they are seeking to join at the time of their very first international official match. Furthermore, such a change is possible only once, up to the age of 21 and must be approved by the FIFA Players’ Status Committee.
Therefore, any player who has more than one nationality – as appears to be the case in Northern Ireland – will have the right to change association teams under the strict conditions of art. 15.3 of the aforementioned regulations.
The objective of this provision – allowing the change association teams – is to provide young players who hold more than one nationality the possibility of reversing the choice of association team that they will have made at a young age.
The parent/grandparent rule, on the other hand, seeks to ensure that a player has a sufficient link to the association that he wishes to represent. Therefore, if the nationality of a player entitles him to represent more than one association, the player must show that he, his parents or his grandparents were born in the territory of the association that he wishes to represent or that he lived in the territory of this association for a least two years. Similarly, a player who never played for his former association at international level but who later on obtains a new nationality, must also show that he has such a link to the country of the new association for which he wishes to play for that goes beyond just obtaining the passport (FIFA Circular Letter no. 901). This is the rule that is set out in art. 1 of annex 2 of the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players.
The parent/grandparent rule, therefore, is only relevant for a Northern Irish player who is seeking to play for another British association team.
To play for the Republic of Ireland, the player must be a national of the Republic of Ireland and, if he previously played for a youth team of Northern Ireland, he must also obtain the approval of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee to carry out this change.
FIFA dealt with an inquiry concerning the player Alex Bruce in March of this year and that, to my knowledge, our response issued then remains applicable at present. In order for the player Bruce to be able to play for a representative team of the Republic of Ireland, he shall be required to hold a passport of the Republic of Ireland.
This principle is clearly established in art. 15 par. 1 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes. The same article lays down the conditions that must be met by a player who has changed his nationality or who has acquired a new nationality.
For a player who was born outside of the UK, and who is later granted British passport, the principles of the aforementioned art. 15 apply. In addition, the player will be required to fulfil at least one of the conditions set out in art. 1 of annex 1 of the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players. As the player will not have been born in the UK, he must have a parent/grandparent who was born in the UK or himself have lived in the UK for at least two years without interruption.”
The relevant Article 15.1 of the FIFA Statute states:
“Any person holding the nationality of a country is eligible to play for the representative teams of the Association of his country.”
So that’s the situation from the horse’s mouth. If you have an Irish passport you can play for the Republic of Ireland so Northern boys can come on down if they want to.
Mike,
when you ask for information in a professional capacity and in the name of an organisation, then it would be unprofessional to use it for other purposes without also using it for the reason you asked for it.
But believe or not this issue isn’t high on said organisation’s list of priorities. It doesn’t even have any clients in Ireland.
As for your question, you are still trying to squeeze the parental/residential rule into the equation when FIFA has clearly stated Article 15.1 is the relevant article.
You can try phrase the question any way you want but in the end you want to know what is the position for players born in Northern Irleand holding an Irish passport regarding eligibility to play for the Republic of Ireland. And the answer to that question lies in 15.1.
BP1078,
I asked in a professional capacity, that’s probably why, which then puts certain responsibilities upon me. Slugger doesn’t pay the bills and believe it or not outside the blogosphere I do have a reputation to uphold.
George -
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As for your question, you are still trying to squeeze the parental/residential rule into the equation
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Well yes, that’s the nub of the issue after all.
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when FIFA has clearly stated Article 15.1 is the relevant article.
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A FIFA rep, I would submit, not fully in pursuit of the facts and arguments on the issue.
I believe the question phrased a different way could well have got a different answer.
Well see how the IFA get on with FIFA.
One of the northern born players, Marc Wilson from Lurgan said the following when asked about the increase of players from the North opting to play for Ireland
Wilson claimed that there was no underlying reason for the trend. He said: “I think everybody has their own personal reasons for wanting to play for the Republic or the North. I grew up supporting Ireland so it was a comfortable decision for me.”
Darron Gibson said much the same when asked about his inclusion a couple of years ago.
Yound lads growing up supporting the Republic of Ireland (as do the vast majority of Nationalists in the north), decide to play for the Republic Of Ireland.
Stop Press…
Teenagers want to emulate their heroes..
Shock ! Horror !
Some conspiracy.
But Mike the point is that FIFA have stated that parental/residential Emergency Statute etc. isn’t the nub of it, Article 15.1 is.
FIFA have pointed out in their position, that:
“The parent/grandparent rule, therefore, is only relevant for a Northern Irish player who is seeking to play for another British association team.”
It is not relevant for a player born in Northern Ireland holding an Irish passport who wants to play for the Republic of Ireland.
Whether you feel this is wrong or contradictory is neither here nor there, FIFA have clearly laid out their position on this.
You ask:
“do Republic of Ireland citizens from Northern Ireland need to have a birth/parent/grandparent connection to the Republic of Ireland, or does their RoI citizenship alone qualify them to play for the RoI, or do they need a birth/parent/grandparent/residence connection to the territory of the association?”
FIFA answer:
“To play for the Republic of Ireland, the player must be a national of the Republic of Ireland and, if he previously played for a youth team of Northern Ireland, he must also obtain the approval of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee to carry out this change.
FIFA dealt with an inquiry concerning the player Alex Bruce in March of this year and that, to my knowledge, our response issued then remains applicable at present. In order for the player Bruce to be able to play for a representative team of the Republic of Ireland, he shall be required to hold a passport of the Republic of Ireland.
This principle is clearly established in art. 15 par. 1 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes”
DEC
“So I repeat the best way forward is for FAI to contact IFA and come to an arrangement along the lines that they will not poach any player that has played competitively at any level for Northern Ireland. ”
It seems I have to point this out again, but for the record, that would actually contradict FIFA regulations.
How? Nowhere in FIFA’s regulations that I can see does it outlaw bilateral agreements between two associations such as the one envisaged. FIFA’s laws do not make it compulsory for one association to pick eligible players from another’s jurisdiction.
Further, for players who have already played competitively for one association, to make the switch requires “approval of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee”. If such an agreement were possible with the FAI, it would be worth “registering” it with FIFA, thus enabling the Players’ Status Committee to enforce it by withholding approval.
CORKDAVE
Well if any player in the North feels irish and feels his flag is the flag of Ireland of course he should be able to play for the Ireland (rep) team.
Why? If he feels Irish he can play for Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is just as Irish as Southern Ireland.
DEC
Prattling on about Southern Ireland as if it’s an actual country is stupid.
No. Denying that Southern Ireland exists is stupid. Read some history and you will learn that Ireland was partitioned into two states in 1921.
DUB
i was merely pointing out that in the situation where some (including you) seem to disagree with its laws on nationality (in particular its bestowal on all northerners of irish nationality) that the govt which is the sovereign govt in ni not only has no problem with this .. they have actually legislated to accomodate this.
Nonsense. They haven’t legislated to accommodate it! Southern Ireland’s citizenship is entirely a matter for Southern Irish law. UK law has no bearing on it whatsoever! Southern Ireland gained independence decades ago. The UK parliament has no jurisdiction over Southern Ireland!
btw; there is nowhere on the planet known as “southern ireland”.
There is.
by the way is malin head in the place you refer to as “southern ireland”?
Last time I checked a map, yes.
GEORGE
I appreciate you saying you are coming around to my way of thinking on this issue. To paraphrase your good self, is that your way of admitting you were wrong?
Yes. When I am wrong, I have no problem admitting it. Unfortunately, you did not clearly explain your interpretation of the rule when the issue first arose, but it is now clear to me.
CAHAL
You guys just don’t get it. Any flag which represents the six counties will not represent any republican. Anything that seeks to artificially differentiate the north east from the rest of the country is unwelcome.
If you really believed that, you wouldn’t support a 26-county team that also differentiates the north-east.
MIKE
George is right.
The parent/grandparent thing only applies to those people whose (single) nationality makes them eligible for more than one team.
The players in question have dual nationality, and different criteria apply in such case.
Ther remains confusion, however, since in the case of Brian McLean he fell into the former category, yet FIFA used the criteria for the latter category to make him ineligible. (He wouldn’t, however, have been eligible through the criteria of the former category either.)
“To play for the Republic of Ireland, the player must be a national of the Republic of Ireland…..” from Article 15.1 (thank you, George).
So it is simple really and I cannot understand all the confusion. A player is entitled to play for the RoI if he can claim to be an Roi national.
The rules on that are very simple: anyone born on the island of Ireland may claim Irish nationality (there was a slight adjustment to that principle recently to deter wannabe immigrant pregnant foreign nationals from flying in merely to deliver their baby in the RoI – but other than that…). So if one is born in the north of Ireland one may claim Irish nationality and it does not matter if your da was Oliver Cromwell and your mammy Boadaceia.
The rules for someone born abroad are different : Irish citizenship may be claimed if either of one’s parents or any of one’s grandparents were born in Ireland, except that if the only forebear who was born in Ireland happened to be born in Northern Ireland after 1922 So if one’s only connection to someone born in Ireland is a single grandparent who happened to be born in Northern Ireland after 1922 then one is not automatically eligible for Irish citizenship and could not therefore play for the RoI team. (I know that this is a bit of a moot point today as anyone with a grandparent born before 1922 is likely to be approaching their fortieth year by now).
Of course one may obtain Irish citizenship by a number of other routes but the aforementioned is the position as regards rights earned by birth or ancestry.
Willowfield,
“you did not clearly explain your interpretation of the rule when the issue first arose”
This all started on the Lawrie-Stan thread where
I wrote:
“Anybody with an Irish passport who hasn’t played for someone else can play for the Republic of Ireland, that includes people born in Belfast or wherever.”
You replied:
“Wrong. Obviously, you haven’t read the FIFA rules. Qualification for a country is not by holding a passport.”
I replied:
“Actually, I have read the FIFA rule, it appears you obviously haven’t.
Article 15 of the FIFA Statutes states:
“Any person holding the nationality of a country is eligible to play for the representative team of the association of his country.”
This view didn’t fit with your interpretation of FIFA regulations at that time but I believe the above statement was pretty clear.
But let’s move on as I accept my subsequent explanation of this interpretation could have been stated more succinctly.
By the way, the “boys in green” reference in the thread title is an oblique reference to the anthem for the Republic of Ireland when they went to Euro 88.