International Eligibility
There was a lot of debate about the eligibility of Lesley Vainikolo when he was picked for England and I get really hacked off with this eligibility debate, just because YOU wouldn't play for another country doesn't mean others can't.
My grandfather came to England from Scotland for economic reasons does that mean I can't play for England, or is it just him?
How can a player like Flutey play with such passion and commitment for Wasps, a team he has no allegiance to other than a contract, and then have it suggested he might not have the passion for England.
A hypothetical scenario to help show what utter drivel this debate is:
Three matches on successive weekends at Millennium Stadium, each match featuring a team in a red shirt playing the touring Argentinians.
Each team in red is made up of the same 15 players, 14 men born in Llanelli and one born in Leicester. Now if those three teams are actually Llanelli, Wales and Lions how can it be that somehow the Leicester bloke playing for a Wales is a travesty, unsupportable or some other nonsense, yet is acceptable for the other two teams?
I just can't accept the idea that you have to pass a purity test to play for England.
The difference between internationals and club is that internationals are representative rugby, and I just can't understand why we need to prevent someone from representing any country they choose. Surely if you are proud of England you should be proud that someone wants to represent you. But saying that they are a bit too different from me so they don't represent me is just getting too narrow and bizarre.
Surely "your country" is for each individual to decide not a committee, it is also possible for an individual to hold loyalty to more than one nation, or even to none at all. An individual can change countries, and passports throughout their life, and their loyalties may or may not change at the same time. Why should sports teams be harder to get into than a country?
I could (if I was any good) have played rugby for Wales, cricket for England and football for Scotland (or any combination thereof).
I could do this with a clear conscience and I don't see why any Committee on the Unity of National Teams should stop me.
My grandfather came to England from Scotland for economic reasons does that mean I can't play for England, or is it just him?
How can a player like Flutey play with such passion and commitment for Wasps, a team he has no allegiance to other than a contract, and then have it suggested he might not have the passion for England.
A hypothetical scenario to help show what utter drivel this debate is:
Three matches on successive weekends at Millennium Stadium, each match featuring a team in a red shirt playing the touring Argentinians.
Each team in red is made up of the same 15 players, 14 men born in Llanelli and one born in Leicester. Now if those three teams are actually Llanelli, Wales and Lions how can it be that somehow the Leicester bloke playing for a Wales is a travesty, unsupportable or some other nonsense, yet is acceptable for the other two teams?
I just can't accept the idea that you have to pass a purity test to play for England.
The difference between internationals and club is that internationals are representative rugby, and I just can't understand why we need to prevent someone from representing any country they choose. Surely if you are proud of England you should be proud that someone wants to represent you. But saying that they are a bit too different from me so they don't represent me is just getting too narrow and bizarre.
Surely "your country" is for each individual to decide not a committee, it is also possible for an individual to hold loyalty to more than one nation, or even to none at all. An individual can change countries, and passports throughout their life, and their loyalties may or may not change at the same time. Why should sports teams be harder to get into than a country?
I could (if I was any good) have played rugby for Wales, cricket for England and football for Scotland (or any combination thereof).
I could do this with a clear conscience and I don't see why any Committee on the Unity of National Teams should stop me.
posted by AJ Thomas at
7:01 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home