Arteta Implications

Arteta Implications

I read today on Soccernet that Mikel Arteta, who has lived in the UK for 5 years, and was being touted as a potentially England player, will not be able to play for the Three Lions bc he did not hold a UK passport at the time he played for Spain's U16s.

Is Daniel good enough?

he would quite certainly make an AWs squad in my view.

Now yes, but in two years? He has played LB or LWB before so if we are still playing 3-4-3 he could be have a good tussle with Lochhead for that spot.

No he hasn't, Lonegunmen cleared this up a while back I think.

I wouldn't want Lia in the All Whites regardless and Hearfield?  Not at the moment.  He could improve, though.  I hadn't heard about this rule - we were fortunate that all 4 of our targets did hold an NZ passport when playing for other nations.

I think Daniel could at least make a local based AW's squad to play island nations in qualifiers and you'd think he could still hold down a subs spot in other games - in the wider squad at least.
loyalgunner2010-09-02 20:46:32

Anyone at A-League level who is available and not a centre back or striker is a welcome addition in my eyes. I'lll never find it as easy to support a team with converted Aussies but a strong All Whites out fit is priority #1 and both Vinny and Troy play positions the current set up is lacking.

What a loophole!! Sounds a bit harsh from FIFA Statutes for Mikel Arteta, since he is about 28 years old now and the last time he played for the U21 was like 7 years ago. The augment about having duel passports while being a youth international shouldn't relevant sine he has a duel passport now and footballing education really shouldn't matter.

I think by principle, a player who hasn't played a international senior game [regardless of nationality or youth internationals games] and has committed enough local football playing [i.e. five years] should still open for eligibility. It's the only fair way to allow the players the best chance to play full internationals.

In this case, Mikel Arteta has only Spain to go for but has over 200 games in the EPL and is not looking to go anywhere else. He's being on the edge of the Spanish World Cup team but still having a choice should be on the cards. The freedom of choice at a later age before having a permanent lock-in to a country once playing that full international game should be the result of a mature but yet fair choice. It means a player would be restricted to ply his trade for highest honours, despite having the ability to do so. I can see that someone may get this FIFA statute piece overturned one day, especially if the players best playing years has pasted, should it really matter then?

Durante will be 32 in 2014, why bother?

Because he's so class, and 32 isn't that old for a centre back.

Durante is a top bloke and would be an assist for the AW's especially if Nelsen retired before the next WC. With Reid, Smith, Siggy and Durante we would have good depth at the back. My only concern is how much of a kiwi is Durante?

But pre-World Cup I recall reading an article on stuff where he said he wouldnt rule out playing for NZ one day

If he manages to find last years form (and he's not far off) I reckon an Aus A-League based side is likely this year anyway.

I suspect McGlinchey considers himself a Scot and Smith an Englishman but they're eligible to play for us and happy to play for us and that's what matters.

I'm not quite eligible for Scotland or Denmark (and skill-wise so far away it's amusing) but if I was I'd play for either of them at the drop of a hat if they were foolish enough to come knocking and the All Whites, wisely, weren't showing much interest.

I suspect many would be the same, and without knowing Dura I'd hazard a guess that he would be too.  As far as I'm concerned, if he isn't getting any luck with Australia he may as well give NZ a go.  Worst case scenario he doesn't get any international football with us - that outcome would be exactly the same as with Australia.
loyalgunner2010-09-08 00:00:52

Hasn't Dura already played for Australia??

No. Got named in a squad but didn't play.

The criteria of a player needing to be eligible for both countries at the time of appearing for the first one was put in place to try and reduce the practice of wealthy FAs simply "buying" players for their national sides (prompted by the case of the Brazilian Ailton a few years back who, while starring in the Bundesliga, flew to Doha and accepted a Qatari passport - having never been there in his life...)

If someone never represented his country of birth, but then met residency/citizenship criteria in a new country (ie Daniel), then that is considered OK by the rule.

The main reason for the rule change (after Tim Cahill originally pressed the issue) was calls from the African voting bloc, where a large number of European born and raised players who technically had dual nationality due to parentage were precluded from international careers with countries of origin because they had played at age-group level for the likes of France, Belgium etc. Case in point being Frederic Kanoute (Mali), and a significant number of the Algerian World Cup squad...

That's why McGlinchey, Reid, Fallon, Smith et al were able to swap - because at the time they received their first international cap for their other country, they were eligible through birth/residence/passport status at that time to have also chosen NZ.

The problem with 'importing' players (even if NZ born but have spent years overseas as juniors) is how much 'heart' they have for the shirt? Would a Andrew Durante have that heart in a tough game? That's the question you have to ask.

I do seem to recall somewhere that Harry Kewell would have earnt twice his club wage if he chose to play for England over Australia (something about less flying time away for games and also that England is a bigger market), so yes, commercial factors would come into it as a guess.  Ryan Giggs chose Wales over England (he was elogibile for both), imagine if Ryan had chosen Englandm he'd be a worldwide star. So even for a national shirt, there would be commercial forces at work for players.
Oceanic Expert2010-09-09 07:30:47

The majority of the 82 All Whites squad were imports, they had plenty of Heart

I reckon Kiwis or raised in NZ  or nothing, bringing players in is for Club football. I would stop supporting the all whites if they were full of aussies. 

Paulinho2010-09-09 12:01:16

Personally, even back at high school when playing at lunchtime I would play my heart out even though there was nothing in it for the winner other than knowing they won.  Every game I want to win.  That's the same for almost all footballers (except the odd pro muppet who views it only as a job and will do what's required for their job and that's it, their passion for it is gone - I'd say that would be very few as well).  I'd say if they're willing to wait to become available for selection then their heart will be in it and if they don't need to wait to become available (like if they're born here) and they start playing without heart then just sub them.

It's almost as if some think you have to keep playing them once they declare for NZ.  If they want to play half-heartedly then they can slip into the international football wilderness - that's their problem.  The national team will only suffer in as much as they play the player.  There's no issue unless it was a vital game and they'd never played before but I doubt we'd be stupid enough to start a player in a vital game who'd just come out of nowhere and was untried.*

*Before anyone mentions Reid and the World Cup I'll point out that that's different as we had several friendlies before the World Cup to test him and if he flopped we could've replaced him (possibly, not sure on rule allowing swaps) or just not played him.

[QUOTE=The Thinker] I reckon Kiwis or raised in NZ� or nothing, bringing players in is for Club football. I would stop supporting the all whites if they were full of aussies.�
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People that deciede to become citizens of any country may have more guts for their new country as they chose it and was not just a chance of birth.