Guadeloupe

[Catracho_Azul]

Just out of curiosity how would you feel if Guadeloupe went its separate ways with the FFA, and do yall even feel they are in anyway french?

[Tread]

Just out of curiosity how would you feel if Guadeloupe went its separate ways with the FFA, and do yall even feel they are in anyway french?

Guadeloupe is just as much a part of France as the 50 US States are part of the US. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_region

So if you let Guadeloupe have their own team that could qualify for the World Cup, then you'd have to let all the other 25 regions of France have their own teams that could qualify for the World Cup. By doing that, France could have 27 teams in World Cup qualifying, one for each of their 26 regions along with their national team. And that is not including territories of France, like New Caledonia, which is a team that is currently allowed to qualify for the World Cup.

Same with the US: if you let Hawaii have their own team that could qualify for the World Cup, then you'd have to let all the other 49 states of the USA have their own teams that could qualify for the World Cup. By doing that, the US could have 51 teams in World Cup qualifying, one for each of their 50 states along with their national team. And that is not including territories of the USA, like Puerto Rico, which is a team that is currently allowed to qualify for the World Cup.

Also, it is interesting that teams like Puerto Rico (USA) and New Caledonia (France) are even allowed to qualify for the World Cup in the first place. By allowing them to do so, that gives the USA two teams: the US national team and the US Puerto Rico team--and that gives France two teams: the France national team and the France New Caledonia team.

That is kinda odd that one country is allowed to have two teams like that in World Cup qualifying. You'd think that would be against the rules--you'd think that each country would just be allowed to have one team. But no, countries like the US and France are allowed to have at least two teams by allowing Puerto Rico (USA) and New Caledonia (France) to have their own World Cup teams as well.

Being that FIFA allows Puerto Rico (USA) to have a team in World Cup qualifying, then we should load the Puerto Rico team with all the best American soccer players that, for whatever reason, aren't in serious consideration for our current national team. Older guys like Frankie Hejduk, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Lewis, Pablo Mastroeni, John Thorrington, Eddie Johnson, Brian Carroll, Marcus Hahnemann, etc... why don't they go play for the Puerto Rico team? And even more importantly, young guys like Geoff Cameron, Sam Cronin, Jack Jewsbury, Sean Franklin, Michael Orozco, etc... why don't they go play for the Puerto Rico team? All they'd have to do to play for Puerto Rico is rent a place in Puerto Rico, make that their home for themselves and their family during the off-season, get a driver's license there, a bank account there, register to vote there, etc. They do that, then they are bona-fide residents of Puerto Rico and they can play for the Puerto Rico national team, giving the USA an A-Team and a B-Team for World Cup qualifying. The great thing about the B-team is to give the younger guys experience on the international stage so they will be better-prepared for when they make the US national team when they are older. Also, it would be a great way to groom a talented up-and-coming American soccer coach with international coaching experience.

And as odd as that is to let the US have two teams by letting Puerto Rico have a team for World Cup qualifying, the Olympics do the same thing. Puerto Rico is allowed to have it's own Olympic basketball team, which gives the USA two basketball teams in the Olympics. Ironically, in the 2004 Olympics, one USA team beat the another USA team (which is another odd result of allowing a country to have two teams). The USA Puerto Rico basketball team made history in 2004 when it became the first team in history to defeat a United States' team composed of NBA players. Up to this day, USA Puerto Rico's win over Team USA represents their biggest margin of loss (19 points) in international competition ever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico_national_basketball_team#Performance_at_Olympic_Games

Aug 15, 2004 -- In Group B play of the 2004 Olympics, the USA Puerto Rico basketball team beat the USA national basketball team, 92-73. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics_-_Men%27s_basketball

[Tread]

Some of the French national team players with ties to Guadeloupe:

Thierry Henry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Henry), a star of the French National Team (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_national_football_team) and Spanish League club FC Barcelona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Barcelona), often visits, as his father Antoine was originally from the island. William Gallas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gallas), whose parentage is Guadeloupean, visits the island when not playing for Arsenal or the French National team. Lilian Thuram (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilian_Thuram), a star football defender for France (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_national_football_team) and FC Barcelona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Barcelona), was born in Guadeloupe. The French national team and Everton F.C. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everton_F.C.) striker, Louis Saha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Saha), is also of Guadeloupean descent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe

[Nanbawan]

Well, prior to France 98, there had been a Brittany v Cameroon friendly iirc.

[Beantowner]

That is kinda odd that one country is allowed to have two teams like that in World Cup qualifying. You'd think that would be against the rules--you'd think that each country would just be allowed to have one team. But no, countries like the US and France are allowed to have at least two teams by allowing Puerto Rico (USA) and New Caledonia (France) to have their own World Cup teams as well. Hmmmm, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico are kind of different than one nation's teams representing England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. None of the latter are countries, so that kind of throws a kink in your bewilderment. ;)

[Tread]

Hmmmm, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico are kind of different than one nation's teams representing England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. None of the latter are countries, so that kind of throws a kink in your bewilderment. ;)

Lol. That's true. The UK has at least four teams that can qualify for the World Cup: England (UK), Scotland (UK), Wales (UK), and Northern Ireland (UK). That is messed up. What other countries besides the UK get to have four teams that can qualify for the World Cup? Wales and Scotland have been part of the UK for over 300 years -- since 1707. Northern Ireland has been part of the UK for over 200 years -- since 1800. The first World Cup was in 1930 -- 130 to 225 years after Scotland, England, Wales, and N. Ireland united to form one country, the UK.

If the UK gets to have four teams, the USA should be allowed have at least 51 teams that can qualify for the World Cup.


http://www.epa.gov/OGWDW/ccr/us-regions_files/us-states.gif
http://www.topnews.in/files/UK.gif

[Nanbawan]

There is no news whatsoever concerning the journey of the Guadeloupe team in the French media. At least the ones I have access to.

Strange...


And a pity because that would be sympathique to have some matches i a period when the footy is on on vacation here...

[polska26]

well new caledonia in the past wasnt allowed to take part of qualifying now they can missed out not being able to beat new zealand so why not guadaloupe

[Catracho_Azul]

wouldn't you think France National Team would take a blow from Guadeloupe separating.

[guignol]

guadeloupe isn't really going to separate; it has the statute of département, which makes it the equivalent of hawaii or alaska. they play in the gold cup because that competition needs all the bodies it can get, but it's highly likely they could ever get FIFA recognition.

but imagine if.

most of the names mentioned in this article (http://mercato.football.fr/post/2009/02/18/1322-et-si-la-guadeloupe-devenait-indpendante) were born in france of gwada ancestry. some came to france as babies. very few (pascal chimbonda for one) actually played football islandside. and given the choice, as many french players of african ancestry have been, the majority would play for france.

but imagine if once again. the rule about not being able to change your shirt after 18 is null and void when it concerns nations which didn't exist previously, we've seen precedents in the balkans and ex-USSR.

[Catel]

well new caledonia in the past wasnt allowed to take part of qualifying now they can missed out not being able to beat new zealand so why not guadaloupe
New Caledonia is on special status, not the same as Guadeloupe. They're on the way to independency - there will be a referendum within the next 10 years.

[Catracho_Azul]

En défense, un quatuor de choc, avec trois internationaux sur quatre, une lignée composée de Pascal Chimbonda, William Gallas, Mickaël Ciani et Mikaël Silvestre, avec, comme doublure, Loïc Nestor, Daniel Congré ou encore Sylvain Distin). Au milieu de terrain, on peut compter sur les frères Capoue, Aurélien et Etienne, sur Ronald Zubar, qui a joué à Caen à ce poste ou encore Olivier Dacourt. En attaque, c'est du très lourd avec Yoan Gouffran, Jimmy Briand, Louis Saha et un certain Thierry Henry. Avouez que cette équipe pourrait facilement se qualifier contre l'Honduras, Trinidad-et-Tobago ou encore le Costa-Rica...

THIS IS VERY TRUE...Ludovic Biabiany would be a big hit within the youth ranks.

[N. Platini]

Well it's not as simple as that . Had those players had been born in Guadeloupe and grew up there , who's to say they would be the same football players they are now ?

[Catracho_Azul]

Well it's not as simple as that . Had those players had been born in Guadeloupe and grew up there , who's to say they would be the same football players they are now ?

the thing is, they weren't really born there, but have parentage from there. but don't get me wrong some are really from there, Thuram the biggest example. but i think every French team has a player who has lineage that traces back to Guadeloupe.

[guignol]

there have been players from what is now the DOM-TOM going all the way back to the 30's, but the first guadeloupe player that sticks in my mind is

MARIUS TRESOR

http://marseille.theoffside.com/files/2009/02/42-19255802.jpg

on the right here with j-p adams, the other half of la garde noire...

i love this pic, dem cats was bad! note that trésor was also captain at that time.

[N. Platini]

the thing is, they weren't really born there, but have parentage from there. but don't get me wrong some are really from there, Thuram the biggest example. but i think every French team has a player who has lineage that traces back to Guadeloupe.
:p

My point was that it's easy to say that Guadeloupe would qualify pass Honduras , Costa Rica ect . . with those players .