2021/22 Seamus Coleman

[dublinbluenose]

It does all beg the question - over the years - how many great players who were eligible to have played for the RoI. Loads. 10% of the UK population has at least 1 Irish grandparent; 20% of the English population has Irish ancestry.

The current English first team squad are not that ethnically English.

Tbh I'm not sure what that is. Ireland youth teams - across all sports including gaelic games - have a good portion of kids with diverse heritage and I think its terrific.

I coach young kids in my local gaa club and there has been a huge increase in participation fom kids from eastern europe and kids with middle eastern or african heritage.

its brilliant to see them embrace it and its a wonderful way to integrate kids into a local community. Whether those kids grow up and want to play for Ireland or the country of their parents heritage is something Irish sports organisations will have to deal with in the coming years.

One of the good things the FAI have done in the last few years (possibly the only good thing) is the establishment of national underage leagues. The idea to provide an alternative route to professional senior football other than going to England or Scotland as a 16 year old.

There was a fear it would destroy schoolboy football but if anything I think its benefited it. The "elite" kids are playing against each other every week and so its a more level playing field in the schoolboy leagues - which are still producing talent over the ages of 16.

 

[Jeff Jones]

if they play under age for Ireland as Rice and Grealish did, then someone from the English FA would have had to make contact to get them to switch.

Of course. They know the rules but they have no control over the choices they make.

Just as the Irish did when they asked two English boys to play for them.

 

[davek]

Tbh I'm not sure what that is. Ireland youth teams - across all sports including gaelic games - have a good portion of kids with diverse heritage and I think its terrific.

I coach young kids in my local gaa club and there has been a huge increase in participation fom kids from eastern europe and kids with middle eastern or african heritage.

its brilliant to see them embrace it and its a wonderful way to integrate kids into a local community. Whether those kids grow up and want to play for Ireland or the country of their parents heritage is something Irish sports organisations will have to deal with in the coming years.

One of the good things the FAI have done in the last few years (possibly the only good thing) is the establishment of national underage leagues. The idea to provide an alternative route to professional senior football other than going to England or Scotland as a 16 year old.

There was a fear it would destroy schoolboy football but if anything I think its benefited it. The "elite" kids are playing against each other every week and so its a more level playing field in the schoolboy leagues - which are still producing talent over the ages of 16.

The commercial magnet of the English leagues will inevitably draw the top talent in. Those national leagues will just increase the quality of the conveyor belt and maybe delay the delivery for a year or two.

On the other point: 'ethnically English' in the sense they come from generations of family who identify with white English culture.

 

[jazzy]

There's plenty of examples. Diego Costa played for Spain through residency rule. Was he not good enough to play for Brazil?

Its not as black and white as your post. Players sometimes make decisions or advised to make decisions very early and then are committed to that country.

Oh I can understand why Costa would make that decision, he gets an EU passport which makes him more attractive to European teams and he stands a good chance of winning something with Spain.....ditto Jorginho with Italy.
However players like I dunno Cascarino who are really not very good and would never be picked for England choose Ireland because of some distant family connection just to play international football. Its not right in my opinion.
There is a similar situation in cricket . England's wonderful one day Capt Morgan choose to play for England rather than Ireland simply because he had more chance of winning something. Even worse he'd already played for Ireland. There are numerous examples with the likes of Peterson etc. As with Cascarino it was a pragmatic decision. Totally wrong IMO.

 

[mightymoyes]

Oh I can understand why Costa would make that decision, he gets an EU passport which makes him more attractive to European teams and he stands a good chance of winning something with Spain.....ditto Jorginho with Italy.
However players like I dunno Cascarino who are really not very good and would never be picked for England choose Ireland because of some distant family connection just to play international football. Its not right in my opinion.
There is a similar situation in cricket . England's wonderful one day Capt Morgan choose to play for England rather than Ireland simply because he had more chance of winning something. Even worse he'd already played for Ireland. There are numerous examples with the likes of Peterson etc. As with Cascarino it was a pragmatic decision. Totally wrong IMO.

Cascarino didn't even have any Irish relatives that qualified him, basically blagged it so he could play international footy

 

[dublinbluenose]

The commercial magnet of the English leagues will inevitably draw the top talent in. Those national leagues will just increase the quality of the conveyor belt and maybe delay the delivery for a year or two.

On the other point: 'ethnically English' in the sense they come from generations of family who identify with white English culture.

Thats a big part of the rationale behind it. The players who eventually go over are more mature and more prepared and because these clubs are run as academies there is a financial benefit to players being pick up by English clubs.

 

[dublinbluenose]

Cascarino didn't even have any Irish relatives that qualified him, basically blagged it so he could play international footy

His mother never told him he had been adopted. His adopted mother's father was Irish. He found out later on he had no blood ancestry to Ireland.

 

[Jeff Jones]

The commercial magnet of the English leagues will inevitably draw the top talent in. Those national leagues will just increase the quality of the conveyor belt and maybe delay the delivery for a year or two.

On the other point: 'ethnically English' in the sense they come from generations of family who identify with white English culture.

The white people of the UK and Ireland are so interbred over the centuries that you could probably identify with whoever you like.

 

[bluerobert]

His mother never told him he had been adopted. His adopted mother's father was Irish. He found out later on he had no blood ancestry to Ireland.

That’s an interesting case mate, was anything ever done about it retrospectively in terms of Ireland fielding a player that wasn’t eligible to play for them?

 

[dublinbluenose]

That’s an interesting case mate, was anything ever done about it retrospectively in terms of Ireland fielding a player that wasn’t eligible to play for them?

He was eligible as he held a genuine passport, it just turned out he had no blood lineage. If you're adopted as a child I think you would still be eligible for a passport as long as all above board with the adoption.

 

[GoldenToffee]

DCL came back from the Euro's with an injury. Does the same logic apply to all players or just one?

No. He's at the start of his career and isn't already known to miss large chunks of the season through injuries picked up on international duty. The situations couldn't be more different actually.

 

[bluerobert]

He was eligible as he held a genuine passport, it just turned out he had no blood lineage. If you're adopted as a child I think you would still be eligible for a passport as long as all above board with the adoption.

Arrr that makes sense. For some reason I thought his passport was then void but I get what you’re talking about now

 

[dublinbluenose]

No. He's at the start of his career and isn't already known to miss large chunks of the season through injuries picked up on international duty. The situations couldn't be more different actually.

So it shoukd be different for different players. Btw it isnt the first toe injury DCL has had.

 

[ToffeeM4n]

It's 2021, lads. Anyone could play for any country he wants, as long as he's wanted and hasn't played for another country.

On topic- we can't blame Seamus. We should have signed a RB

 

[Mitch Ward's Minder]

Rafael on a free is a still a possibility. He doesn't have an Irish passport though, so could be problematic...