FAI Gets Green Light
The Republic of Ireland's football governing body (FAI) says a Fifa ruling on Saturday means it can continue to pick Northern Ireland-born players. "Senior Fifa sources have confirmed to us that the status quo remains and the FAI may continue to select players born in Northern Ireland," said the FAI.An FAI statement said that it "welcomed" Fifa's decision. An FAI spokesman added: "In October 2006, Fifa's Legal Department ruled that players born in Northern Ireland are entitled to play for the Republic of Ireland if they choose." Saturday's brief, one sentence statement from Fifa on the controversy said that current rules were being left "unchanged".
The FAI has consistently argued that Fifa rules does give them the right to field Northern Ireland-born players. And with Fifa regulations unchanged after Saturday's decision, the Republic of Ireland association's stance is unaltered.
On-loan Wolves midfielder Darron Gibson recently played for the Republic in a Euro 2008 qualifier. He was born in Derry in Northern Ireland but elected to switch to the Republic after representing the north at Under-16 level.
It would be nice to think that this matter has now been settled in a reasonable fashion. How on earth can you say that second and third generation Irish peope born in Britain can play for the Republic when people born in Derry can't? Moreover, the Good Friday agreement clearly recognises the right of people in the Six Counties to Irish citizenship.
Unfortunately the IFA (the North's football governing body) and Unionist politicians persist in challenging the rights of Northern nationalists.