retired_6669

Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia wants to play for England. Apparently he only has a year to go and he is eligible.
Personally, I could never play against my own country. What happens if they play Spain?

Would anyone be comfortable playing against their own nation?

retired_calhoun_s

Dont the home nations have an agreement in place to stop this happening?

retired_monica90

Deco sure as hell was.

retired_slapshot731

Yes. End of thr...

retired_derek

He's not Welsh you know.

retired_tripaige

Yes. End of thr... </BLOCKQUOTE>

isn't the agreement to stop someone who has been living in england for five years, getting a GB passport and then playing for scotland? or vice versa?

there was once talk of cudicini playing for england.

retired_calhoun_s

Yes. End of thr... </BLOCKQUOTE>

isn't the agreement to stop someone who has been living in england for five years, getting a GB passport and then playing for scotland? or vice versa?

there was once talk of cudicini playing for england. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Could well be actually. I know there is osmething but not 100% what it is.

retired_6669

if there is an agreement, I dont think its a formal one, probably just something like a gentleman's agreement.

retired_writergirl

England could do a lot worse than Almunia.

retired_nini59

indeed and I'm sure it's got nothing to do with this, it's to prevent those who have a link to one country playing for the others without a link which they could technically do.

Iirc Maik Taylor was born in Germany but got a UK passport, and so without any links to Norn Iron, he went and played for them because he could get into the team. David Johnson had the same situation where he could pick his country because he was Jamaican and he got picked for Scotland, then they found out he was adopted with an English mother, so with a tie to England they had to drop him under the agreement.