Not trying to pick a fight or anything as most have expressed negative opinions
about NZF. However to be successful at times means lots of hard work and I copy
a little from the full article below. Its also long but it’s the level needed
by NZF.
The reality of reuniting Giannou with his
former Joeys coach is far more convoluted, complex and involves countess hours of digging, delving and diligence. Not to
mention paperwork, emails and negotiations pinging back and forth between
Australia, Greece and Zurich over six months
http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2016/03/14/how-giannou-became-anges-undercover-socceroos-trump-card
Should freshly-minted Australia international Apostolos Giannou hit the
ground running in green and gold it will prove a justified reward for a
coordinated campaign of sleuthing so slick it would make Hercule Poirot proud.
Seemingly lost to
Australia after switching allegiances to land of his birth, and even making his
debut for Greece in a friendly international against Turkey last November, the
dual nationality forward is now set to play for the Socceroos in this month’s
FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Tajikistan and Jordan.
The media coverage of his
switch painted a picture of Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou simply jetting to
Greece, where Giannou played for Asteras Tripolis before his February move to
Guangzhou R&F, and using the gentle art of persuasion to tempt the former
Australia and Greece youth international back to the nation where he spent his
formative years.
The
reality of reuniting Giannou with his former Joeys coach is far more
convoluted, complex and involves countess hours of digging, delving and
diligence. Not to mention paperwork, emails and negotiations pinging back and
forth between Australia, Greece and Zurich over six months.
Now,
after 14 goals in 22 games for Asteras, Giannou, 26, is being touted as a
possible successor to ageing icon Tim Cahill - after he was granted permission
by FIFA in January to complete his switch from Greece back to Australia.
Time
will tell whether he becomes Postecoglou's go-to man for goals, but the fact he
is even a chance is down to the persistence and tenacity of a Melbourne-based
player agent who dug deeper than Poirot on a cold case, the legal eagles at
FFA, with a little helping hand from SBS.
With
Giannou mindful not to trumpet his intentions, the work by his representatives
at FIA Sports Management and FIFA-registered intermediary Jon-Paul Michail, in
tandem with the FFA, was kept under tight wraps.
It
would all have been academic had Giannou been given any minutes off the bench
by Greece a year ago in a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier against Hungary.
But
the door remained open and the clandestine journey to bring him back into the
green and gold fold painstakingly unfolded from mid-2015.
It picked up steam In October 2015 whenThe
World Gamepublished
an article on his form for Asteras, highlighting the ambiguity over his
international allegiances. Giannou declared his ardour for both nations but
behind the scenes, and off the record, he was leaning heavily towards
Australia.
The
article opened some minds and provoked calls in Greece for him to be handed a
debut without further ado, while in Australia Michail made contact with the FFA
to alert them to Giannou’s ever-growing reputation in Greece, not just in the
league but also in national team circles.
"There
was a lot of confusion about Giannou’s eligibility initially, with even
suggestions that Giannou had chosen not to represent Australia and
unequivocally pledged his allegiance to Greece – which never occurred,"
Michail said.
"This
misleading information was also communicated to Ange Postecoglou who had
enquired about Giannou’s eligibility when first appointed to the job in 2013.
Because of this no further action was taken at the time."
Once
that was cleared up the investigation in to his eligibility began in earnest.
According
to FIFA edicts, a player may switch national allegiances only once. Having
first represented Australia and then Greece at youth level, a key factor was to
discover if the Greek FA had pursued the proper paperwork to switch Giannou’s
allegiance from Australia to Greece.
Giannou
had no recollection of any such paperwork being discussed or executed.
Upon
further research by FIA Sports Management, when Giannou first played for a
Greek youth team in 2008, FIFA regulations did not require paperwork or
official change of association declarations to be completed.
This
turned out to be a mystery-busting discovery which was followed two months
later by Postecoglou reaching out to FIA to confirm his interest in Giannou as
a Socceroos prospect.
Ironically,
just two days later, Giannou was called up by Greece for friendly matches
against Luxembourg and Turkey.
FIFA law dictates that a
player must heed national team calls and attend any and all camps. So that's
what he did.
He
made his debut for as a 70th minute substitute against Turkey in Istanbul on 17
November. But, since it was purely a friendly, it did not derail the campaign.
Over
the next two months, the FIA and the FFA compiled what they thought was a
compelling case to put to FIFA. It included proof of citizenship, migration
paperwork, movement records and Australian and Greek youth team personal
records.
The
verdict they were hoping arrived in the affirmative in late-January. It was at
that point that Postecoglou booked his passage to Athens to meet the forward he
had last worked with nine years earlier to discuss the future, with both on the
same page.
But
subterfuge surrounding his international future remained right up until the
eleventh hour with fears in the Giannou camp that a leaking of his switch
before his move to Guangzhou R&F was ratified might have provoked a miffed
Greek FA into stalling over his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and
even scuppering the deal.
By
then, though, Postecoglou had got his man.