New Zealand U-23s - Quali Whites

Wasn't angling for that response. 

Take care.

Shouldn't there be some different rules for age group teams? How can the 5 years after the age of 18 be applied to U17 or U20 players?

Sarcasm.  Regardless, maybe more needs to be done to increase participation of Maori/Moriori kids, or Polynesian kids for that matter.

Oooh. I'll just pretend I didn't see that.

Or maybe not. Should read through before posting.

Rodgerson, Tuiloma are certainly two that are prominent at age group level.

I think the concern would be that it would open a back door that FIFA don't really want open.

I think NZF are panicking now and the lawyers are perhaps too. I agree, how can you raise that rule all of a sudden and try and apply it, but it does seem that they might. I have a professor of law mate who looked at it all and said it was all as clear as mud!

Going over old ground a bit, but I don't see that having all of these 'foreigners' within our system as being too much of a problem. IF the actual outcome is that each of these players require FIFA clearance [and it will generally be given under normal circumstances] - then the problem [in the long term] is fixed by obtaining the FIFA clearance. IF the actual outcome is along the lines that NZF, myself and a few others support, then no problem.

I am certain that the likes of Wynne and the other NZ examples are not the people or the actions that FIFA were trying to stop with their eligibility rules.  While there have been examples where countries have tried to wrought the system [like Laos, Qatar etc] I can't believe that there are not 100s of thousands of kids in the Wynn situation in Europe even that would be effected. Over the past 20 years alone there has been so much refugee traffic into Europe and you can bet there is not some little office in FIFA HQ processing all of these eligibility applications, probably because people aren't always making them [a la NZ] for whatever reason.

I did not ask for a wholesale change of NZF at this point. Some possible lines of inquiry:

- is what happened with (not "in") Vanuatu our only slip-up on player eligibility, or the only one picked up by opposition?

- if it isn't the only one, is NZF resourced correctly to handle that? I mean, enough to send off a fax to FIFA for an exemption... or to argue that not asking for an exemption can lose a kingdom for want of a horseshoe nail...

- our infamous loss against the Solomons some years ago depriving us of the Federations Cup appearance - many argued that, playing conditions that day aside, the team was simply unprepared for the game - is it a sign of a pattern whereby NZF is constantly flying by the seat of its pants?

If these few issues are a sign of poor management then calling for a NZF performance review by the Govt. would be valid. This is because NZF relies on both taxpayer funding (to a degree) and also because it fails to generate income when our rep teams do not qualify to comps.

If we have 40 or so kids who are in similar circumstances as Wynne and Burfoot, why don't we seek approval from FIFA for them to represent NZ?

That way there could never be a question around eligibility for them. 

Going back a few posts, FIFA could never argue that Maori, or Moriori bloodline be required to represent NZ. It would be like saying that only First Nations people be allowed to represent the USA.

There are rules which pertain to nationality, because one can grow up somewhere, but identify as something else. A Fijian Indian may be able to represent India if he qualifies, but he can certainly represent Fiji.

non-issue.

Well considering that NZ was the last land mass to be inhabited by humans the best we could do is field a team of bats, seals, and dolphins considering those are the only mamals native to the country.

Your [yellowsite] one line responses are very helpful, thanks.

That's very mamalist of you. Why couldn't native birds and reptiles represent NZ too, where's the equality!!!

This man deserves a Moa.

That's a step up from a Tui !

dogs (which were kept to be eaten) and rats I believe too, if they got their FIFA clearances...

Would make a great team name.

Moriori only ever lived on the Chathams.

How about the vikings?

Know what's an interesting and prevalent historical inaccuracy? Viking helmets having horns - they didn't (since Vikings weren't stupid enough to have helmets that their enemies could grab hold of in the heat of the battle).

Anyway. Carry on.

Sauce?

At least a team of Moa would have better communication at times. 

As soon as we have an A-League franchise in Dannevirke.

I'm convinced. 

Hilarious. And spot on. 

Sounds like we've got a lot of exemption applications to be making to FIFA! 

Head down bum up FDJ...

Maybe history was too harsh on the Vikings - I imagine the Angles and Saxons wouldn't have minded a few viking raids of raping and pillaging.

Given that there are still unihabitated land masses, I reckon that's not true.

Even without the currently still unihabited land masses, New Zealand has inhabited before Antarctica, which is a pretty significant land mass...

I love this thread.

We should present our own grounds of appeal to NZF to assist them, I think the last couple of pages would be really helpful grounds for appeal, though I think we need to go right back and think about evolution of species to work out true eligibility.

It's Darwin, it's the vibe.

Though I was told the Moriori were a hapu...

Maybe/probably, depends on who you listen to.