Driver cleared for Scotland

[Jim White 0]

Hearts' Andrew Driver has expressed his delight at being given the all-clear to play for Scotland.

 

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[Guest Flying Hippo]

So whats the deal here? He has no Scottish relatives but he's allowed to play for them because he's lived in Scotland for so long? So basically any Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish player whose been at an English club since they were a schoolboy can play for England?

[stewarty 1,944]

So whats the deal here? He has no Scottish relatives but he's allowed to play for them because he's lived in Scotland for so long? So basically any Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish player whose been at an English club since they were a schoolboy can play for England?

 

Providing they've gone to school for a certain length of time that seems to be the case. I can see us getting bitten on the bum with this one at some point.

[Guest Flying Hippo]

Providing they've gone to school for a certain length of time that seems to be the case. I can see us getting bitten on the bum with this one at some point.

 

Without question. Ryan Giggs, for example, would've been eligible to play for England under these rules (it's a myth that he was always eligible for England and chose Wales over them)

[Gazza_8 233]

But would Ryan Giggs have wanted to play for England?

 

If it was me, I wouldn't hesitate to knock back England if it meant playing for the country I was born in, grew up in and love!

[Guest Flying Hippo]

But would Ryan Giggs have wanted to play for England?

 

If it was me, I wouldn't hesitate to knock back England if it meant playing for the country I was born in, grew up in and love!

 

I've read his autobiography and he puts the record straight about the whole England thing. He played for England schoolboys because he went to school in Manchester but he was never eligible to play senior football for England. The only countries he was eligible for were Wales and Sierra Leone. And he says that the idea of playing for England never entered his head as he saw himself as Welsh and only wanted to play for Wales

 

However, it's not 1990 anymore. Players are lot more motivated by money and personal glory

[Super_Ally 0]

With the old agreement we had with the home nations was it not the case that the like of John Barnes should not have been representing England? If they've been bending the rules, why shouldn't we?

[ian1964 10,669]

Is it not the case that a player is eligible to play for a country if he has been at school in that country for 5 years?, meaning he qulifies as he has spent 4 years at school in Scotland + 1 years college

[Gribz 745]

If he has no family member scottish nor born in Scotland then he shouldnt be allowed to play. International football is becoming like a transfer market. You get it everywhere with Eduardo being born in brazil but playing for Croatia, Viduka being born in Croatia but playing for australia, Deco being born in Brazil but playing for Portugal (and he recently stated he is going back to his homeland to play - Brazil??).

 

I moved to England when I was 9 but have no english relatives, had I been a Rooney I could have played for england? But as Gav says no chance would I have wanted to.

 

There has to be a line drawn somewhere on this.