FIFA removes age limit for switching national teams

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by ThreeApples, Jun 3, 2009.

  1. diablodelsol

    diablodelsol Member+

    Jan 10, 2001
    New Jersey
    This is the right thing to do. Very very few players are in a posiiton to know at the age of 21 where they will fit into their full national team setup, making the option to switch just about pointless.

    And its not like every player can switch....just those that had to make a tough decision at a very young age.
     
  2. F96

    F96 Member+

    Oct 24, 2002
    Skåne
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    This thread post #65:

    And:

    https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1055525

    https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1055627
     
  3. aloisius

    aloisius Member

    Jul 5, 2003
    Croatia
    Algerian delegation brought this motion to a vote at the fifa congers and they were backed by the rest of africa and others as it passed with 58% votes.

    they're aiming for the children of African immigrants who play for youth teams of a European country but don't make the full international team.
     
  4. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/feder...id=1066025.html#blatter+unity+family....there

    This may eliminate Jones from switching to the USA.

    But, according to Blatter, it seems Mexico may have been violating some FIFA rules.

    Interesting.
     
  5. chad

    chad Member+

    Jun 24, 1999
    Manhattan Beach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  6. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You may be right... I think you are now that I think about.

    But Blatter is pretty unclear and hard to follow here.
     
  7. chad

    chad Member+

    Jun 24, 1999
    Manhattan Beach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This point by Blatter would have ruled out, for example, Regis in 98, but not Castillo/Jones in 2009. I think.

    Aren't there a couple of players on Mexico's team who are naturalized Mexicans as adults? These players might not have met the 5 year residency requirement prior to playing for Mexico.
     
  8. aloisius

    aloisius Member

    Jul 5, 2003
    Croatia
    that's just a part of the rule they quoted blatter on.

    they didn't quote the "or have at least one grandparent from the country" part.
     
  9. Scotty

    Scotty Member+

    Dec 15, 1999
    Toscana
    Probably referring to guys like Vuoso and Franco (Argentines) and Leandro and Sinha (Brazilians).

    All moved to Mexico as adults for no other reason than to play professional soccer.
     
  10. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In general, Africa will benefit the most.

    One thing I've learned is that CAF has the most disproportionate power within FIFA of any confederation. By that I mean, they have more political power in FIFA compared to their real power in the soccer world. That's why they always have so many (undeserved) WC slots.
     
  11. Panfilo

    Panfilo Member+

    May 9, 2003
    INLAND EMPIRE
    Club:
    Club América
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Leandro had been living in Mexico for 8 years when he was first called up
    Zinha had been living 6 years in Mexico when he first got called up
    Vuoso 5 years living in Mexico when he was first called up

    The only one that hadn't lived in the country for 5 years was Guille Franco.

    But the rule was implemented in 2008 so Fifa has nothing on Franco.

    The reporter who asked the question asked in a way that made in sound that Mexico was trying to naturalize more than 5 players.

    Blatter probably thought it was something new and responded the way that he did.

    If Mexico had wanted to play a naturalized citizen who had lived in the country for less than 5 years Fifa would have stopped them before it happened. The same way Fifa stopped El Salvador from playing with Arturo Alvarez under the old rule.

    Non story
     
  12. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    VB, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I swear I wrote my post before getting to this one. :D
    Also, Spain has Senna, who I think didn't move to Spain until he was a soccer playing adult. England is rumored to be looking at capping Almunia, and a few years back was considering Cudicini.

    THAT is the door FIFA needs to shut. If someone doesn't have a nationality (or eligibility) at age 18, they shouldn't be able to play for that nation. That's the worst kind of mercenary action.
     
  13. rossonero4life

    rossonero4life New Member

    Jun 4, 2009
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    Nat'l Team:
    El Salvador
    FIFA AMENDS INTERNATIONAL ELIGIBILITY RULE
    Brent Latham - Saturday, June 6, 2009

    A new rule change that is likely to have global implications as soon as next year's World Cup has been passed by the FIFA Congress in the Bahamas, FIFA has confirmed to YA.

    The rule, proposed by the Algerian Football Federation and accepted by a majority vote of the Congress, eliminates the age limit at which a player can opt to request a change of federations after having participated in the youth teams of one country.

    Players who have not played an 'A' international match for their country, meaning a match in a competitive international tournament such as the Gold Cup, World Cup, or World Cup qualifying - and excluding friendlies - would apparently now be eligible to switch to any federation of a country for which they held citizenship at the time they played for a youth team of the original country.

    "It's not quite as simple as that," FIFA's Nicolas Maingot told YA, "because Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18, in relation to the eligibility of players still apply."

    Those articles deal with the conditions under which a player could previously switch nationalities, including the concurrent nationality requirement, and the 'A' international match limitation.

    Maingot says that the regulation is expected to take effect sixty days from the vote, which took place June 3.

    "Any new regulations take effect sixty days after the Congress," he explained.

    The FIFA spokesman said that there was no way to predict how long decisions on individual cases might take, though in the past cases have been decided in a matter of weeks, or in some cases a month or two.

    "We would anticipate some communication going out to the member associations in the period in between to clarify this."

    Because the rule change needs to be clarified before taking effect, any guess at how it may affect individual players or associations still involves speculation. Nevertheless, the rule change could potentially impact the United States.

    San Jose midfielder Arturo Alvarez, who last played with the US Under-23 team in Olympic qualifying, attempted earlier this year to switch his allegiance to El Salvador. His bid was unsuccessful, but under the new statute he would appear to now have grounds for a change.

    At least two prominent Americans playing abroad would also now appear to be eligible for a switch to the USSF, should they be interested.

    FC Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones, the son of an American father and German mother, has appeared in friendlies for the German national team but has never earned a cap in an 'A' international match.

    Club America left back Edgar Castillo, who has suited up for Mexico on various occasions, may also now again be eligible for the US team. Castillo, a New Mexico native who has sat on the bench for qualifiers for Mexico but never appeared in a full 'A' match, was left off new coach Javier Aguirre's squad for this week's Hexagonal games.
     
  14. OU9601

    OU9601 Member

    Jul 12, 2003
    Lancaster, Ohio
    I will trade my Arturo Alvarez for your Edgar Castillo. Heck, I'll even try to throw in Beasley if nobody argues the point...
     
  15. purojogo

    purojogo Member

    Sep 23, 2001
    US/Peru home
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Too lazy to read it all ....can we get Castillo back (you know one of those pesky LB we usually produce very sporadically)

    MMMh....Sunil, get on the phome....BOb, use your charming personality....On second thought, Sunil get on the DAMN phone NOW!!!!!
     
  16. purojogo

    purojogo Member

    Sep 23, 2001
    US/Peru home
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Throw in Califf, Kiroski, and Jeff Cunningham for good measure...
    I kid, I kid...........
     
  17. rsvlpolo4

    rsvlpolo4 Member

    May 20, 2009
    Roseville, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Holy crap did Christmas come in June!? So does this basically mean that any player who hasn't been capped by the senior international team in a FIFA sanctioned game is now eligible to switch their national team allegiance (assuming they have ties to another country somehow)?

    More importantly does that mean Edgar Castillo and *gasp* Jermaine Jones could possibly play for the United States? God having Juergen Klinsmann right now would really help! Would Jones have any interest in playing for the us anyway? I don't know a lot about Jones' history and I'm not trying to be stereotypical, but did his father end up staying in Germany? I doubt Jones would want to play for the U.S. if his father left him.

    Edgar Castillo seems to be more of real possibility since he was actually born here.

    This needs to happen. We got effed on the Subotic and Rossi deal.
     
  18. rsvlpolo4

    rsvlpolo4 Member

    May 20, 2009
    Roseville, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    As of right now I don't this hurting us that much, it might in the future with all the African and Mexican talent we have on the youth teams.

    But I don't think we have to worry about Sal Zizzo or Dominic Cervi playing for Italy, Gabriel Ferrari playing for Italy or Brazil, Zak Whitbread playing for England, Kyle Davies playing for England, Quentin Westberg playing for France, or even Stuart Holden playing for Scotland.

    Arturo Alvarez seems like the guy most likely to switch. If he does, ehh whatever we've lost better players than him and he doesn't even seem to be on Bob's radar at this point.

    If Alecko Eskandarian wants to go play for Iran or Armenia, lol, then I don't care. Same goes for Quavas Kirk playing for Trinidad and if Nick Rimando wants to go play for the the Phillipines haha.

    Losing Edson Buddle wouldn't be that big of deal, he's 28 and often injured, so if he wants to play for Jamaica, then whatever.

    I hope to hang on to Robbie Findley and Kamani Hill for the time being since they are both still young and have potential.

    Hopefully we can hand onto all our youth players that were listed several pages ago. Never know which ones are gonna turn out.
     
  19. Optimus Prime

    Optimus Prime New Member

    Jul 5, 2007
    So this doesn't change the Rossi situation? :D
     
  20. Kqql

    Kqql Member

    Sep 22, 2003
    Players technically eligible to play for USA

    Parker - American Dad
    Hurzeler - Born in USA to German parents who worked in US
    +
    Nurdin Hrustic - Born in Bosnia, however lived in USA since 10
    just signed up with Borussia Dortmund
    .
     
  21. bshredder

    bshredder BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 23, 1999
    Club:
    Millwall FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's unclear if he's even a citizen.

    Castillo and Jones are clearly our best options. Jones is a better player but Castillo would help us more given our total weakness at LB
     
  22. rsvlpolo4

    rsvlpolo4 Member

    May 20, 2009
    Roseville, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sunil and Bob have to know these things right!? I mean how could they not?
     
  23. USvsIRELAND

    USvsIRELAND Member+

    Jul 19, 2004
    ATL
    You're interpreting this wrong.

    Several of the Irish players who played this weekend wouldn't be eligible under your interpretation of this rule.

    You don't have to live in the country if you're a citizen by birth/heritage.
     
  24. rsvlpolo4

    rsvlpolo4 Member

    May 20, 2009
    Roseville, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Correct. Jermaine Jones qualifies because he has American blood. God I really hope we can get this guy
     
  25. wcssstar33

    wcssstar33 Member

    Aug 28, 2008
    Milwaukee
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Me too, but being that the rule takes effect August 2, we'll have to hope he gets on board before then.
     

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