Arteta would consider playing for england

What if Perrotta was never good enough for Italy and he found himself in Arteta's situation, and decided to play for England?

What then? How is that different?

This is my point throughout, it's a case by case situation. Every player is unique, and it's almost impossible to really define someones "nationality" with a generic set of rules.

Well, then he would've taken advantage of the imperfections of the individual itself and the imperfections of society. But what I've been been talking about is that a player should play the country he feels most connected with, not the country that gives him the opportunity to play or gives him the best chance to play the World Cup

So yeah, I agree with your last point

arteta is ineligible to play for england

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8961817.stm

A great day for humanity

I Agree with this as well, but who is to say that Arteta doesn't feel a certain connection with England, he's lived there the better part of eight years now, he's certainly taken on "some sort" of Englishness whilst certainly not losing his Spanishness. People have the ability to connect with more than one country/culture/etc... If you don't think that's possible then you essentially don't agree that immigration is possible, and that you're either this or that and people that move from one country to another can never assimilate and are therefore a BNP'er.

On a related note - I mean look at Brad Friedel, it's even changed his English accent, at the adult stage of his life, which I didn't think was even possible really but it's just part of what living somewhere for a certain extent of time will do to you.

Valid point bet welching prick, but at the end of the I think Arteta would play much rather for Spain than for England. Not that I can back that up but to prevent happening what I just mentioned I think for such players they should have make a 'test' or something. And not (in this case) when was King Arthur born or what's your favourite cricket player but we have to protect football (and other sports) from phoneys because otherwise national teams playing each other wouldn't mean shit anymore

Read my posts ya fucking moron

Regardless of all the talk of nationality and eligibility, I don't think anyone should be able to spend several years trying to get into their own national team before changing their mind when they realise they're not good enough and deciding to try to represent another country.

It shouldn't be based on ability or shit like that, it should be down to the player's actual connection with the country, which in Arteta's case is simply employment.

Millions of people are in the UK simply due to employment, not because they like tea, lawn bowling and morris dancing.

Yet they live, work, eat, have kids, get married, spend money, vote, interact, etc... all in England, are they not English?

What this whole debate has brought up again is how farcical the international game has become, due to the so many different definitions on what is nationality (rears its head on this board from time to time as well).

I think the solution should be that as soon as a player signs a pro contract, at any level, they should have to state which country of the ones they are eligible for, that they would choose to represent. No exceptions, no nothing. If you were born in Scotland but feel more Irish for whatever reason, fine, but make that clear with your first contract. Would save the whole media circus that is played every time a situation arises.

No they aren't.

If i go to Spain now and buy a villa and live there a few years i wouldn't be Spanish, i'd be an Englishman living somewhere else. Simple as that.

Agree with this. If somebody moves to England they don't become English. To think that is retarded. I work with Germans and Italians who've live in England for 20+ years and 10+ years respectively. They remain German & Italian.

I don't disagree with you both, i'm just playing devil's advocate.

My simple point is that it is impossible to have a rigid set of guidelines on who is and should be eligible to play for a nation that applies well to everyone's situation.

I mean, Why should someone who has lived in a country for over five years not be able to play for a country when someone who has spent a week their once be able to automatically just because they have a grandparent from there?

Yeah, thank fuck Rolli isn't a gifted football player

Or how about Maik Taylor? Who is English/German... yet plays for Northern Ireland, well... just for the hell of it. Anyone with a British passport can "choose" any of four nations, regardless of cultural attachment. Surely most of you would agree that being Scottish isn't the same as English, or Welsh not the same as Northern Irish?

Why should that be alright? He's not even full on English as most of you would describe, being born and raised in Germany. He's only "half-way" English (if there is such a thing), and certainly not fucking Irish.

seppblatter@fifa.com - get him emailed.

no they can't. someone born in england with english born parents and grandparents can only play for enland.

Yeh people born in Britain would have to play for the nation they were born in but anyone born outside of Britain who holds a British passport can represent any of the home nations. I'm sure that's the rule.

It's a fucking stupid rule mind.