Almunia called-up for England

akward...ahhah

Hardly. It is a possibility in real life as well. I mean, I'm not a fan of players playing for a country not of their birth or heritage but lots do. Maik Taylor for one -- he has an English parent and a German parent, no N. Irish.

On a side note, Ross Turnbull seems to have become number 1 for England in my Oxford game in 2012.

Portugal have no end of players like this in their national team, some of the best ones too

Fernando Tissone lost the nationality of where he was born completely in one of my saves. That's one of the odder things I've seen.

I have a German & Brazilian as my 2 CB's in my 2019 England Squad..

Yup, Almunia has been called up in my game too, I assumed it was because both West Ham and Wigan were relegated, so Green and Kirkland are playing in the Championship.

Isn't there some kind of gentlemans agreement amongst the home associations preventing this from happening n real life tho??

The papers up here said that was the reason Nacho Novo hasn't been called up by Scotland!!!

This is more for GD. I'll move it.

He qualified for England on my save as well but I never picked him, now I wish I had looking at the other options

I don't see how you can complain about that anyway, since you saw fit to get yourself in the England squad.

In real life Almunia is thinking of getting a british passport it was in the news this morning! Which would obviously make him eligible for England....

Personally i dont think any none english born players should be allowed a place on the England squad above english born players, it takes away the whole point of playing for your nation.

Isn't there some kind of gentlemans agreement amongst the home associations preventing this from happening n real life tho??

The papers up here said that was the reason Nacho Novo hasn't been called up by Scotland!!!

Pretty sure there is, something to do with the complications of it being a British passport rather than English/Scottish etc.

Hmmm,I consider myself English rather than British, I was born in England, with 2 English parents, and English family as far back as I care to investigate.... however my passport clearly states my nationality is British... wonder if that would mean I could play for any of the British teams?

Hmmm,I consider myself English rather than British, I was born in England, with 2 English parents, and English family as far back as I care to investigate.... however my passport clearly states my nationality is British... wonder if that would mean I could play for any of the British teams?

No, as the agreement between the home nations states that there must be a blood line no further than grandparent which links you to the country you wish to represent. This is what should make Almunia ineligible.

Unless you're born in the Channel Islands, in which case you can choose.

Unless you're born in the Channel Islands, in which case you can choose.

What about a relative from the Channel Islands?

Could an English player with a grandparent born in Jersey represent France?

Emanuel Insua. Never got a call up to the Argentine squad. At 27 he was the best left in the game, so I called up to the Spain squad. He played every game until he retired aged 38.

I still cann't belive Almunia got called for England :S

I called up Xisco when I had a striker crisis for England. Darren Bent, Fraizer Campbell and Wayne Rooney were all injured or unavailable, which left me with Agbonlahor the only English foward in the prem playing regular football. Xisco was on a good run of form for Newcastle so I gave him a call-up.

I called up Xisco when I had a striker crisis for England. Darren Bent, Fraizer Campbell and Wayne Rooney were all injured or unavailable, which left me with Agbonlahor the only English foward in the prem playing regular football. Xisco was on a good run of form for Newcastle so I gave him a call-up.

Really is a crisis if you're calling up Frazier Campbell?

What about a relative from the Channel Islands?

Could an English player with a grandparent born in Jersey represent France?

Not France, but they could play for any of the home nations.

Not France, but they could play for any of the home nations.

Interesting, any idea why France is ruled out when it is a relative but not when you are born there?

Weird rules you have there. Here in Belgium it's simple, if you have a Belgian passport, you can play for the national team (if you haven't played for other national teams off course).

I mean, we ask players to become Belgian so they can play for our team .

Weird rules you have there. Here in Belgium it's simple, if you have a Belgian passport, you can play for the national team (if you haven't played for other national teams off course).

I mean, we ask players to become Belgian so they can play for our team .

Belgium actually becomes the best country in my earlier games when I start off in England.

I like to sign the youth players from Argentina and Brazil, and naturally they are all excellent players. But in order to get a work permit I have to get a feeder club in Belgium. They then go on loan to Beligium for something like 3 years (could be 5?) and then they get a work permit to play in England. By that time they're now Beligian nationals. And get called to the Belgian squad before they get called to their home nation.

So for a while Belgium wins the Euros and World Cup, until I move to another country to manage, like Spain or Italy.

Weird rules you have there. Here in Belgium it's simple, if you have a Belgian passport, you can play for the national team (if you haven't played for other national teams off course).

I mean, we ask players to become Belgian so they can play for our team .

Ditto Singapore.

Except our citizenship rules are a bit stricter, unless you have 'exceptional' talent. Then you are fast-tracked.

A couple of our 'foreigners' got Singapore citizenship by marrying local chicks.

Interesting, any idea why France is ruled out when it is a relative but not when you are born there?

I thought France was also ruled out for being born there, so perhaps I'm wrong on that.

I saw Andrea Orlandi in of Swansea and Spain get called up for Wales after the Swans were prmoted to the prem

i thought the rules on the british passport home nations rule was 'the player coming from a different nation who gains british nationality, can only represent the country which he plays football'. i.e. david johnson (the former ipswich striker) born in jamaica but had a british passport tried to play for either scotland or ireland but couldnt because he played his football in england basically all his life thus breaking the agreement. so if alumnia got his british passport he could only play for england as thats where he played his football.

i thought the rules on the british passport home nations rule was 'the player coming from a different nation who gains british nationality, can only represent the country which he plays football'. i.e. david johnson (the former ipswich striker) born in jamaica but had a british passport tried to play for either scotland or ireland but couldnt because he played his football in england basically all his life thus breaking the agreement. so if alumnia got his british passport he could only play for england as thats where he played his football.

Nacho Novo could represent Scotland if that were the case, I'm pretty sure the agreement prevents him.

Fabrice Muamba was born in DR Congo and currently plays for England U-21s. I'm not sure about his parental bloodline.

It'll be interesting whether he'll be able to play for the full England squad.

Fabrice Muamba was born in DR Congo and currently plays for England U-21s. I'm not sure about his parental bloodline.

It'll be interesting whether he'll be able to play for the full England squad.

He's an interesting case, his father was an asylum seeker who was granted permission to remain in the country although I don't think he actually has citizenship. Should be interesting if he ever gets close to a full call up.

I've seen Nathan Ellington in the Bosnian team on this game. Nothing is impossible in football.

He's an interesting case, his father was an asylum seeker who was granted permission to remain in the country although I don't think he actually has citizenship. Should be interesting if he ever gets close to a full call up.

If fabrice has lived in the countrylong enough his probably got citizenship and the fact his a pro. footballer means his got a good job so he will be granted it

If fabrice has lived in the countrylong enough his probably got citizenship and the fact his a pro. footballer means his got a good job so he will be granted it

But under the agreement citizenship is not enough for him to be eligible for the England team, he needs the bloodline.

I think the last player of no bloodline to play for England was John Barnes (born in Jamaica to Jamaican family). He moved to England as a schoolboy. So either there is maybe some dispensation for players who have resided in the country from a young age, the gentlemans agreement has been changed over the years or he was simply a one-off case.

Im sorry but this whole debate is confusing me, Almunia has lived lived long enough in England to gain an British passport therefore can play for England, Fabrice Muvumba as also lived long enough in England to gain a British passport so can also play for England,

Neither can play for Scotland because of the Home nations agreement for whatever its proper name is, which stops players using a British Passport to play for Scotland or Wales when they have properly never set foot in the countires let alone stayed there for the required time.

What is there to discuss seems and open and shut case to me

I think the last player of no bloodline to play for England was John Barnes (born in Jamaica to Jamaican family). He moved to England as a schoolboy. So either there is maybe some dispensation for players who have resided in the country from a young age, the gentlemans agreement has been changed over the years or he was simply a one-off case.

The agreement was made in 1993.

I've seen Nathan Ellington in the Bosnian team on this game. Nothing is impossible in football.

To be fair, he has expressed an interest in playing for them in real life - his wife's Bosnian which (I think) qualifies him for there.

Im sorry but this whole debate is confusing me, Almunia has lived lived long enough in England to gain an British passport therefore can play for England, Fabrice Muvumba as also lived long enough in England to gain a British passport so can also play for England,

Neither can play for Scotland because of the Home nations agreement for whatever its proper name is, which stops players using a British Passport to play for Scotland or Wales when they have properly never set foot in the countires let alone stayed there for the required time.

What is there to discuss seems and open and shut case to me

The agreement is that players representing the home nations must have a bloodline to that nation that goes no further than a grandparent, this rules out players who gain British citizenship completely unless they have that bloodline.

Isn't this only a gentleman's agreement though? So there would be no actual rules to stop Almunia being called up?

Isn't this only a gentleman's agreement though? So there would be no actual rules to stop Almunia being called up?

No, there cannot be rules to prevent this happening, only the agreement.

I'd imagine that as the strongest of the home nations, England would have the least to gain by breaking this agreement.

DAFUGE, this whole thing about Muamba is NONSENSE!!!! Of Course he can play for ENGLAND!! He moved here as a child, has been raised in england and has a British passport. The gentlemens agreement is with regards to PROFFESIONAL FOOTBALLERS being bought, living in england, scotland, wales or ireland and then wanting to play!

DAFUGE, this whole thing about Muamba is NONSENSE!!!! Of Course he can play for ENGLAND!! He moved here as a child, has been raised in england and has a British passport. The gentlemens agreement is with regards to PROFFESIONAL FOOTBALLERS being bought, living in england, scotland, wales or ireland and then wanting to play!

Maybe I'm wrong but I was led to believe that the gentleman's agreement was that only players with a bloodline to a country could represent them and nothing to do with transfers.

The only reason I am unsure about Muamba is whether his dad counts as an English bloodline.

Maybe I'm wrong but I was led to believe that the gentleman's agreement was that only players with a bloodline to a country could represent them and nothing to do with transfers.

The only reason I am unsure about Muamba is whether his dad counts as an English bloodline.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15234_4995842,00.html

Okay Dafuge, looking at this article it would seem AT THE MOMENT you are right! But if that new rule they talk about in the article is put in place he WOULD be eligible.

I still can't believe there would be an issue if Capello called him up though.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15234_4995842,00.html

Okay Dafuge, looking at this article it would seem AT THE MOMENT you are right! But if that new rule they talk about in the article is put in place he WOULD be eligible.

I still can't believe there would be an issue if Capello called him up though.

That's interesting that proposed extension. When it says 'foreign' in terms of Scotland do you think that means outside the UK? If it was in place before he was capped for Wales then could Giggs have played for England?

Giggs did play for England at schoolboy level as he went to school here. He is Welsh though and once he became pro decided to play for the country of his birth but he could have chosen England

Giggs did play for England at schoolboy level as he went to school here. He is Welsh though and once he became pro decided to play for the country of his birth but he could have chosen England

I don't think he was ever eligible for England, the only link he had to England was the school.

He was never eligible for England, he played at schoolboy level due to the location of his school, I think.

Giggs could of played for Sierra Leone I belive. He also has no English link at all.