Part 2: Multiple Nationality Football Players – Sense v. Sentiments
๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ ๐ธ๐ณ ๐บ๐ธ ๐ซ๐ท ๐ฎ๐น ๐ต๐น ๐ช๐ธ ๐จ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ท ๐ง๐ท ๐ธ๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ท ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป ๐ธ๐ช ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฌ ๐ฟ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฌ
In Part 1, Chinedu established that he was eligible to play for Nigeria and England. So what next? How does he decide which country to play for? ๐คทโโ๏ธ
It can be a tough decision and if you are expecting a formula from me to work this out, youโll be waiting a lonnnnnngg while… ๐ ๐ . There is no magic formula I’m afraid… the player just needs to do a bit of research, then sit down with his or her parents/guardians/mentors and discuss ๐ฃ๏ธ .
I love asking young British footballers (with African parents) who they would play for if they had the chance and why. Even more so, I love listening to their responses. I watched a friend and her hubby argue over which country their son should represent ๐โโ๏ธ; and the kid is still only 10 ๐คญ๐ hashtag#Wahala
That said, these conversations need to be had. Personally, I think it boils down to Sense v. Sentiments.
By SENSE, I simply mean, thinking about what is best for you as a player/person and what will help advance your career. For instance:
1๏ธโฃ Which national team appears in more international competitions, bearing in mind that this could increase competition for spaces in the team. You would need to bring your “A” game every time.
2๏ธโฃ Where do you feel you will be given more playing time? More caps means more exposure, and more opportunities to advance to bigger leagues. Also, playing time is taken into consideration in England under the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria for international player visas.
3๏ธโฃ What is the country’s FIFA ranking? Same as above re GBE
And by SENTIMENTS, I mean:
1๏ธโฃ Patriotism – You will definitely have people/fans pushing you towards a certain country and asking you to be โpatrioticโ. You need to block out the “noise” and focus on you because majority of those people won’t be there when the chips are down ๐ฃ. Parents may want to see you representing your country of origin, which you may have no connection with ๐ . If however, you consider this option, it may be a good idea to research how the players are treated. Do they have to pay their own transportation/flights to matches (with promises of a refund that never materialises)? Are the players paid their bonuses on time (if ever) ? ๐คญ
2๏ธโฃ “This country has invested in my development” – This may seem like a good reason to play for a certain national team, but think about whether that loyalty would be reciprocated ๐ค. I wouldn’t be too confident. I have seen distraught players who lost favour with national teams they were loyal to. National teams want results so if you aren’t performing well, you could be dropped and replaced in a heartbeat.
What happens if youโve played for one country and want to switch ?
Look out for Part 3 ๐
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