Should only sovereign nations be allowed to be FIFA members? (Update: Kosovo & Gibraltar join FIFA)

Kosovo and Gibraltar now officially added to WCQ for Russia 2018:
http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/exec...ovo+to+play+in+Group+I+in+European+Qualifiers

 

Possibly more contentiously - so does Crimea!

http://tass.ru/en/sport/873804

J

 

Crimea won't get through. The big FAs from Western countries won't recognize what's seen as a legitimate state. Kosovo gets through due to Western Europe recognizing it, Gibraltar has British backing.

 

I read an article mentioning the Isle of Man considering applying also.

 

Last friday 25th november, FIFA held a brainstorming between 6 CONCACAF members (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Franch Guyana, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten and Bonaire) and French and Netherlands Football Federations. It was a matter of discussing a special statute for those 6 CONCACAF members. Immediately France put a kind of veto saying that its colonies (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana and Saint Martin) won't be able to compete in FIFA. They could funding and training in FIFA but not competitions! I didn't know FIFA was the UN (lol)! In all cases, the final decision will belong to FIFA! Response to the first half of 2017!

 

Got a link?

 

FIFA may have the final say, but I don't think it will get to FIFA unless France agrees. France is a bit inconsistent as they do allow Tahiti and New Caledonia to compete as full FIFA members.

 

are not USA and Mexico happy with this? image voting versus 30 funny teams that are not nation just european military base in the caribbean.

 

Good thread, I am vehemently opposed to only letting sovereign nations have teams. If one country conquers another, then the conquered nation loses a team. That is 100% wrong.

Black players should be able to represent their own team as an alternative to the usnt if they want. Same with native American players, they should have their own team like in Lacrosse. The native people were conquered, so because reservations don't have full sovereignty, they can't play in WCQ unless the u.s. caps them. That is totally wrong. We all know the u.s. will never let reservations be sovereign nations. But FIFA shouldn't wait, give them their own team NOW. And an African-American team. Any movements for black sovereignty have been crushed by the CIA. That doesn't mean they shouldn't have their own team.

Shame on FIFA and the International Olympic Committee for rewarding war, conquest and oppression. Let oppressed groups have their own teams, the fight for sovereignty requires bloodshed, which is too dangerous. FIFA and the IOC shouldn't penalize them for being peaceful.

 

I think it is well established that if there is enough global support for the admission of a territory then FIFA won't stop it. Case in point Palestine. FIFA attempts to be politically neutral as much as possible and that makes perfect sense for a global governing body. The concept of representative teams drawn along ethnic lines I find highly problematic and is not in any shape or form compatible with FIFA's territorial approach of top-down governance.

I don't want this thread to be dragged into a politically charged debate. We have other forums to discuss "black lives matter". Political debates are just a click away.

 

Interesting. Despite only being a CAF associate member Réunion gets to enter a team in the CAF Champions League (SS Saint-Louisienne).

 

CONCACAF lets Associate Members enter the CFU Club Championship, which is qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League. Only 8 out of 31 eligible countries (including FIFA members and CONCACAF Associate Members that aren't independent) entered clubs in 2016. Guadeloupe was the only Associate Member to enter clubs.

 

Absolutely

 

Why, there are ethnic and cultural groups that would like to field a football team without having to fight for sovereignty first.

 

If I read this correctly the FIFA membership of the French CONCACAF associations is off the table for now:
http://outremers360.com/sports/foot...-fifa-pas-pour-le-moment-selon-noel-le-graet/

 

Why stop at African-American and Native American teams.

Why not have, as well.....
US-All Italian team
US-All Greek team
US-All Polish team, etc

(true, the above are all immigrants, not conquered peoples, but still...)

Spain- All Basque team
Spain-All Catalan team
Spain-All Galician team
Spain- All Castilian team, etc

(top 3 conquered by the Castilians)

China alone has some 56 recognized ethnic groups (who were conquered by the majority Han), not to mention some 297 different living languages.....

India has some 1700 languages....and over 2,000 ethnic groups.....


Maybe the Native-Americans wouln't all want to play for one "Indian" team.....so, there could be an All Lakota team, an All Cheyenne team, etc

The possibilities for new football teams are endless...

 

Zanzibar admitted to CAF. Apply for FIFA membership:
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40153414

 

Jersey will apply for UEFA membership next week:
http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...-make-break-jersey-makes-bid-uefa-membership/

 

Rejected!!!

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43183023

J

 

Interesting bit in this piece:
http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...returned-new-term-concacaf-finds-happy-place/

Anybody know which ones?

 

Basicly must be the french territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guiana and Saint Martin), whom have been since long asking for the same type of consideration as New Caledonia or Tahiti, in OFC, whom still are overseas french territory, but got full membership status at FIFA since 2004 and 1990, respectively.
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Btw, a few posts back, you posted a link related to it....

 

Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana are integral parts of France, and this simply because they have themselves chosen to be so in 1946. If you dislike it, blame Aimé Césaire for it. He's the one who asked for "départementalisation" (French equivalent of US "statehood", only in even more integrated).



As integral parts of France, they are represented at FIFA level by France. Just like Hawaii is represented at FIFA level by the United States of America. Thomas Lémar is born in Guadeloupe and he has lift the world cup in july. So did Lilian Thuram (Guadeloupe) and Bernard Lama (French Guiana) before him in 1998.

The thing is, French Caribbean people like it this way: they have a local team to compete in local competitions and they can cheer for their folks during the world cup final. It's clearly the best of both worlds for them. I don't see them renouncing on that.

And after all, they are both Caribbean and French so why should they?

 

I don't dislike it.
Francly, I don't really care about the issue.

My post was simply a reply to @Nico Limmat , whom asked whom would probably be the "new" teams from Concacaf, next to join FIFA.

But the fact remains being, that they do want to have full membership in FIFA. They are not asking for political independence from France.

And you might be wrong about what or whom their people might want to represent, when it gets to playing football. Some do believe they get highly discriminated by their fellow european country men, whom only want them at their prime, to afterwards when legs aren't the same, to discard them the same way as if they were trash. Btw, french-africans share the same type of feelings towards their european counterparts.

 

I haven't said you necessarily disliked it, I've only told "in the case you would dislike it, then you should blame it on Aimé Césaire". It was conditional.

They could have both if they want. They've chosen their current status, and they are free to change it as well. In France, the people is sovereign. I'm not really sure Paris wanted Mayotte to become a department as well, but as French citizens they had the right to choose.

Well, you're mixing up tons of things here. I agree they should be allowed to represent both if they want to, and as a matter of fact, even the FFF (French Federation) agrees as they are still eligible to play for France even when they play for Guadeloupe, so there is really no will from France to prevent the Guadeloupean youth to shine with their local team. It doesn't force them to choose. It's actually CONCACAF which prevents them to play for their Caribbean team if they had played for France. Florent Malouda and French Guiana rather unfairlly paid for it.

Now, if they go for full FIFA membership, it will only limit even more the freedom of choice for the players, but if that's the will of the local leagues then so be it. Considering they have only a single citizenship, then I guess they would probably still be free to pick between 2 teams at a younger age, but once the first pick done it will be final along FIFA rules. They are really free to choose for themselves.