2 Sep 2009New eligibility rules supported by Welsh FA

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance | Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media

Plans to alter the eligibility criteria for British players selected to represent their country have received the backing of the Welsh FA.

Initially put forward by the Scottish FA, the new rules would mean that players could still represent a certain country even if they, their parents and their grandparents were born elsewhere.

This is because players with five years of compulsory education in the specified country would be eligible to turn out for the national team, BBC Sport reports.

The proposal has also been backed by the Irish Football Association, which represents Northern Ireland, although it will still need to be considered by the FA and receive official approval from FIFA.

Players with established international careers, such as Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs, could have represented different countries if the rule change had been brought in earlier.

Owen was born in Chester but educated in north Wales, while Giggs began his life in Cardiff but moved to the Manchester area with his family at the age of six.

However, the Manchester United winger once told a BBC interviewer that he felt "Welsh through and through" and would not have chosen to play for England if given the chance.

Written by Tom Jenkins

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