Knockeart - France

[hans kraay fan club]

Is this correct? I thought it was only competitive FULL internationals that generally tied a player to that country. I would be interested to see a source, if you have one.

Any Player who ... [assumes] a new nationality and who has not played international football [in a match ... in an official competition of any category or any type of football for one Association] shall be eligible to play for the new representative team only if he fulfills one of the following conditions:
(a) He was born on the territory of the relevant Association;
(b) His biological mother or biological father was born on the territory of the relevant Association;
(c) His grandmother or grandfather was born on the territory of the relevant Association;
(d) He has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant Association.

— FIFA.com

In January 2004, a new ruling came into effect that permitted a player to represent one country at youth international level and another at senior international level, provided that the player applied before their 21st birthday

Not sure now. The second part rules out Knockaert, anyway.

 

[AZ Gull]

Not sure now. The second part rules out Knockaert, anyway.

Except that that January 2004 ruling was overridden in June 2009:-

In June 2009, FIFA Congress passed a motion that removed the age limit for players who had already played for a country's national team at youth level to change national associations. This ruling features in Article 18 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Except that that January 2004 ruling was overridden in June 2009:-

Fair enough (assuming that U21 IS considered 'youth level'. I'm not convinced that it is.)

 

[Black Rod]

This must be a strong candidate for Joke Thread of the Year, and there has been plenty of utter shit posted throughout 2016

 

[AZ Gull]

There is (6 years?) but if they've played any COMPETITIVE fixtures at U-21 level for their own country, then they are tied to that nation.

It isn't conclusive evidence, but Tammy Abraham scored for England U21s against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a competitive U21 international three weeks ago, and yet Nigeria are still hoping to persuade him to switch to play for the Nigerian senior side - We’ll Get Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham To Play For Nigeria - Pinnick