I think the 5 year rule is OK, you have to draw a line somewhere
It's the grandparent rule I don't like, one of mine was born in China, yet I have no real connection
It also works disproportionately in favour of former colonial powers, after all how many English players would have an Aussie granny?
Brexit has sent a lot of those raised in Britain to get Irish passports, because you can have one if your granny was Irish. (My grandchildren have them) The rule served us well in Irish soccer under Jack Charlton. The country would have knighted him, if we had such things!
Aye, Brexit, thing is a fair few of them were utter hypocrites, having lived in the Netherlands for over 30 years, it hit people like me pretty hard, & of course, WE didn't get to vote...
I suspect that in football Wales also has a fair few 'granny' qualified players...
There are plenty of them, Farage is (or was) married to a German, and on one occasion he said he'd move to Germany if Brexit failed, Nigel Lawson has French residency & lives there, & there was this bloke...
There are literally shit loads of them...
Does Anthony Abrahams also cover the number of South Pacific islanders that have filled Australian and NZ jerseys of the years? Lots of Fijians, Tongans who had been lured to play for them. Probably only Argentina who could claim to be fully Argentinian… but that’s a nation of immigrants anyway!
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It's the grandparent rule I don't like, one of mine was born in China, yet I have no real connection
It also works disproportionately in favour of former colonial powers, after all how many English players would have an Aussie granny?
I suspect that in football Wales also has a fair few 'granny' qualified players...
There are literally shit loads of them...