Farcical!

The confusion about ones true nationality is not just a joke, but a complete and utter farce as the title of this post suggests. It has become ridiculous. 

@JoshRiceyy posed the question on twitter when he asked 'How are we defining 'English' players though?' - and that is the question raised in reference to Manchester United's wonder kid, Adnan Januzaj, who is potentially available to represent an incredible 6 countries.

should he play for England? United's young star Adnan Januzaj

Januzaj burst on to the scene last Saturday when he saved United's blushes with a 2 goal performance against rock bottom Sunderland. But instead on focusing on what was a brilliant performance from such a young and talented player, (he's only 18 years of age) instead attention turned to the nations that Manchester United's up and coming star is eligible for. Due to FIFA regulations, It turns out that Januzaj is potentially available to represent 6 national sides: Albania, Kosovo, Belgium, Turkey, Serbia and England. Now for me, it's getting out of hand. It's getting ludicrous.

Januzaj's potential availability for 6 nations sparked a world wide debate about whether he should be allowed to play for England, despite him not possessing any English blood, and only potentially being eligible in 2015 through living here for 5 years. There has been  great contrast in opinion surrounding the argument, with many expressing whether they are for or against Januzaj's potential participation for England. 

Well known players such as Jack Wilshere have expressed their opposition to his participation, stating: 'The only people who should play for England are English people' and then adding 'If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English. You shouldn’t play.' 

Former Scottish International captain Christian Dailly also expressed his opposition, quoting in 2004: "I don't care if they call in Zinedine Zidane. I would rather lose with a team of Scots than win with a team of foreigners. This is not a club side we're talking about it's SCOTLAND.'

Players such as Miroslav Klose has accumulated an
incredible 68 goals in 130 caps for Germany despite NOT
having any German blood

But not everyone has shared this view. When posing the question on twitter, there was an interesting debate with both strong and legitimate opinions being raised. 

@lexDunnage was clearly for Januzaj representing England, stating 'I'm for it, especially if it means that a player like Adnan can play for England' whilst also going on to highlight German players such as Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Cacau who all represent the national side despite not having any German blood. @lexdunnage concluded that England should 'move forward with the times,' conveying his belief that England should take advantage of these regulations to maximum effect, as other nations such as Germany have done so to great success.

With such legitimate arguments taking place, I was initially on the fence to whether or whether not Januzaj should play for England in the circumstances given. After long and careful thought, I concluded that Januzaj should NOT be allowed to represent England. And the reason is simple.

He isn't English. It's that simple. I don't care that he'll gain English citizenship in 2015, just because you spend 5 years in a country it doesn't make you English. @DanBrooks_12 shares a very similar view, stating 'If I had gone to Real at 16 it wouldn't make me Spanish.' However I disagree with another view he shared, which read 'If someone moved here at like 12/13 it's different imo (in my opinion), I agree with the 5 years before 18.' For me, you can't just pick up a nationality. For me, you either have to have a relative (up to grand-parents) who are of that nationality, or if you are born in the country, to be eligible for the national side. Therefore this would rule out Januzaj, and any other player in the same circumstance.

I believe Dailly's (left) comments are spot on in regards to this
particular debate

At the end of the day, I think Christian Dailly's quote couldn't be more accurate. I'm very patriotic, and I wouldn't want to see players who aren't English representing England. Obviously I would love to win, but most importantly, I want ENGLAND to win. Regardless of how good a player is, I wouldn't want them to play for England if they aren't English. 

The FA's regulations regarding these rules are a joke. They're making themselves look stupid, the fact that one single player can represent 6 different countries shows just how much of a farce the system is. I understand those that are for Januzaj representing England and I am aware that it is perfectly in the rule book for him to play for us in 2015, but I think you'd be lying to yourself if you think he's English. The rule book NEEDS to change. He's not English. He's far from it. And to play for England, for me, you HAVE to be English.

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