Deal ends Novo's Scotland hopes

The four Home Nations have agreed to stick by a "gentleman's agreement" that will rule out any approach from Scotland for Spaniard Nacho Novo.

The Rangers striker had said he would accept a call to represent Scotland.

And England coach Fabio Capello was thought to be keen on picking Spaniards Manuel Almunia and Mikel Arteta.

But the Scottish Football Association has confirmed that the Home Nations would continue to pick players based only on bloodlines.

Novo, 29, has spent eight years playing in Scotland and admitted he would consider applying for a UK passport and switching allegiance to his adopted country, if asked.

Scotland manager George Burley refused to rule out the option of picking Novo, while SFA president George Peat was opposed to any change to the current criteria for selection.

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"There has been some confusion and much debate in recent days about whether or not Nacho Novo can play for Scotland," said SFA chief executive Gordon Smith.

"On one hand, the Fifa regulations say that George Burley can pick eligible players who hold a British passport - and, on the other, we have the gentlemen's agreement with the other Home Associations that says that we will pick players based on their bloodline.

"I have sought to clarify the issue. We have had discussions with the other associations in the past couple of days and I've found out that everyone is adhering to our agreement and that, subsequently, we're all going down the line that we will use bloodline as the basis for eligibility.

"Now, at some stage in the future, one or more of us may change our opinion on that - we may get together and change our decision and go for the full Fifa regulation - but, at the moment, we're all sticking to our agreement."
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Poo

Arteta for England would be a good match if Spain can do it with Senna why cant the others.

Arteta is the only one worth having and i think he really isn't interested, he still thinks he can play for Spain.

Home nations are foolish on this one. If other countries had and stuck to agreement, it would be different, but Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Japan and Tunisia at least have all used naturalised Brasilians in their teams.

Either get FIFA's rule changed so this can't happen, or take advantage of it.

I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

A fair few England fans were against appointing a foreign coach, but it happened. They'll get used to it.

EMP wrote:Home nations are foolish on this one. If other countries had and stuck to agreement, it would be different, but Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Japan and Tunisia at least have all used naturalised Brasilians in their teams.

Either get FIFA's rule changed so this can't happen, or take advantage of it.

If Scotland are $h!t, we're $h!t with Scottish players. If we qualify for tournaments, we qualify with Scottish players.

I'd hope this would be the case with England too.

Calidad wrote:

EMP wrote:Home nations are foolish on this one. If other countries had and stuck to agreement, it would be different, but Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Japan and Tunisia at least have all used naturalised Brasilians in their teams.

Either get FIFA's rule changed so this can't happen, or take advantage of it.

If Scotland are $h!t, we're $h!t with Scottish players. If we qualify for tournaments, we qualify with Scottish players.

I'd hope this would be the case with England too.

But it isn't with many other countries. Either it should not be allowed at all, or used if it is. Pointless some not using it while others do. I know a few SpAniards objected to Senna previously, but do they now, when he was an integral part in ending their trophy drought.

Whats the point of international football if you are nationalising players?

It would be a bit hard to be proud of your team when the best players are foreign. I would stop watching if Almunia or Arteta started playing for England, it would be farcical and we don't need Spanish rejects anyway.

Players like Senna or Deco would have played for Brazil if they had just been more patient. I don't understand their desire to even play for another country anyway.

Not saying you do, but as long as other countries are doing it, it's foolish to just ignore it.

Other countries shouldn't do it. They're in the wrong and it's up to them to change.

They won't stop until the rule is changed. Until then there will always be countries that do it. The ones that don't like have to get FIFA to stop it.

THE rule blocking Nacho Novo from a Scotland cap could be scrapped
in just three months' time as the SFA get set to perform yet another
spectacular U-turn.

Record Sport can reveal chief
executive Gordon Smith has decided to call for an "urgent review" of
the current gentlemen's agreement which forbids dual nationals from
playing for any of the Home Nations on the strength of a British
passport.

And the proposal has already received strong backing
from Soho Square where English football's top brass are also ready for
action at the February meeting.

Just last Friday Smith
appeared to crush Novo's hopes of a call-up when he insisted Scotland
boss George Burley will have to abide by the unwritten rule.

But
Smith will now head to a showdown with the heads of the FA's of
England, Wales and Northern Ireland in Belfast to propose a rethink - a
move that could put Novo in contention for the Group 9 trip to Holland
the following month if the Spaniard has secured a passport by then.

Smith
and senior political figures inside Holyrood fear the SFA could be wide
open to claims of discrimination if challenged in a European court of
law.

The 15-year-old agreement is further undermined by the
fact both England and Scotland already allow naturalised citizens to
represent them on the international stage.

Sergei Baltacha was cleared to win three caps for the Under-21s despite being born in Kiev without any Scottish blood link.

And
two current England Under-21s, captain Nedum Onouha of Manchester City
and Bolton's Fabrice Nuamba, would also be denied the chance to step up
to full level.

Onouha will be ready for full honours next summer
and Nigerian officials are desperate to persuade him to switch back to
the country of his birth.

It is likely the English FA will be
keen to reverse the legislation as quickly as possible in the knowledge
that if not these players could be lost to Fabio Capello's squad.

Not a fan of this trend, but it is a bit of a grey area. Other than for mild mocking purposes, I have no problem with people like Klose, who's I think has been in Germany since he was a kid, playing for them rather than Poland. It's where you get some random Brazilian who's barely stepped in the country playing for Ukraine or whoever, that it just gets silly. However, there are many shades in between

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside)

Kimbo wrote:

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside)

Don't remind me. Have to share my birthday with that bastardo

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Hargreaves was booed almost every match he played for England before World Cup 2006. He has English blood, as does Rooney. Hargreaves is a grey area, unlike Novo, who has had nothing to do with Scotland until recently. If he had been brought up in Scotland, learnt to play football in Scotland fair enough..

Kimbo wrote:

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside)

Irish parents

Z wrote:

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Hargreaves was booed almost every match he played for England before World Cup 2006. He has English blood, as does Rooney. Hargreaves is a grey area, unlike Novo, who has had nothing to do with Scotland until recently. If he had been brought up in Scotland, learnt to play football in Scotland fair enough..

Hargreaves has never (before man utd and bar england matches) played football in England.

Cookie Monster wrote:

Kimbo wrote:

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985 in Croxteth, Liverpool, Merseyside)

Irish parents

Z wrote:

Cookie Monster wrote:

borocooper wrote:I imagine there's too many English/Scottish fans who would be against it.

If we assume the average England fan is a bit like Ian Wright then it'll be the same old "if they aint English then they shouldnt be playing for England innit?"

Not that many people worry that Rooney is Irish and Hargreaves is Canadian.

Hargreaves was booed almost every match he played for England before World Cup 2006. He has English blood, as does Rooney. Hargreaves is a grey area, unlike Novo, who has had nothing to do with Scotland until recently. If he had been brought up in Scotland, learnt to play football in Scotland fair enough..

Hargreaves has never (before man utd and bar england matches) played football in England.

Born and raised in England i already said is fine. Hargreaves has English heritage, however as I said is debatable. Coming over to the country at 20+ years old for a job and staying is completely different.

I dont see what difference any of this makes?

You think people are looking at Rooney and thinking "hmmm, he looks Irish to me, not English. GET HIM OUT!!". No..they're thinking there goes Englishman Wayne Rooney, what an ugly c**t, glad he plays for England.

Hargreaves is slightly more dodgy, and as Z says..he was a hated player for about 4 years if not more. It took him nearly killing himself running around for over 90 minutes to win people round, now he's dead.

You think they'll look at someone like Arteta and wonder where he comes from? No, they'll see a Spaniard in an England shirt and they wont like it.

Who are they? They are them.