Should Soccer Have Stricter National Eligibility Rules?
The GSC panel weighs in on the nationality eligibility debate, and tries to find a universal solution.
Ben Woodburn recently made his debut for the Wales national football team, which raised questions about what nationality Woodburn is, and once again re-ignited the debate regarding nationality eligibility. Under the current system, some athletes are allowed to represent one nation at the junior level and another at the senior level. Should there be stricter eligibility rules for athletes, and what kind of system should be implemented universally?
serge: I actually like the FIFA rule. You’re allowed to play for either country in friendly games etc., but as soon as you register one competitive cap for one nation, you’re officially declared for this nation. I understand we can’t let athletes just jump ship at their own convenience, but this rule is good. Look at the Boateng brothers. Jerome could have easily been the best player in the history of Ghana, but he chose Germany. Kevin-Prince rolled with Ghana. Nothing wrong with that.
I do think, however, that line has to be drawn at competitive matches. Even if it’s at the junior level. There are U-21 tournaments, and those teams are usually good indicators of who’s “on the come up.” Countries invest significant resources into training those teams and treating them as the pipeline to the senior system, so playing a competitive match at ANY level should lock you into that country. That being said, if either Ukraine or Canada want to hit me up, I’m a free agent.
Micah Wimmer: It’s unsurprising that questions of affiliation such as this would arise now, in an era where the world has become globalized in a profound way, with borders and identities becoming more porous than fixed for many. Regarding eligibility for sporting events, I think there should be generous lassitude regarding what team one is allowed to play for, as long as it makes some sort of sense. It seems to me that citizenship, long-term residency or familial background would be good parameters to have so that the rosters consist of players with real ties to the country they are representing.
Brandon Anderson: Listen, let’s just talk about the elephant in the room: American soccer. If the U.S. Men’s National Team isn’t allowed to recruit dual-national dudes, we are *definitely* never getting back to the World Cup. Have you looked around at the rest of the options out there? The USMNT wants dual nationals on that team. They need dual nationals on that team.
If America can’t dream about poaching top prospects like Jonathan Gonzalez away from real team, then what’s even the point? Do you realize how bad our team would be without John Brooks and Fabian Johnson and Julian Green… er, maybe just focus on JB and Fabian. Why not let these guys make their own choice? Would you rather ride the pine on Team Mexico or Germany or come to the U.S. and watch the games on TV like a real man? The current rules are fine. Do what you will, but once you represent one nation at the top level, you’re tied.
