ESPNsoccernet: Global
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Israel to lose out over FIFA's eligibility rule
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TEL AVIV, June 21 (Reuters) - FIFA clarified their international eligibility laws on Thursday by prohibiting players from appearing for an adopted national team unless they are full citizens of that country.
Consequently Argentine-born Roberto Colautti and Nigerian-born Toto Tamuz can no longer play for the Israel national team who are involved in a four-way tussle with Croatia, Russia and England for a place in next summer's Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland.
Their next qualifier is against England at Wembley on Sept. 8.
The decision, which was taken by the FIFA executive committee last month, came into force on Thursday when all 208 FIFA members received a letter advising them of the new rule.
'A number of players were able to play for a country as long as they lived there but their citizenship ended if they moved away from that country,' FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said.
'This new ruling, in effect, protects the players. If a good young player was to leave a small club in one country for a big club in another country and lost his right of citizenship, he would also jeopardise his international career.
'All any country has to do is grant that player full unconditional citizenship and he is eligible to play for that country whether he lives there or not.'
In a statement on their Web site, the Israeli FA said it was studying the aspects and judicial consequences of FIFA's decision.
IFA chairman Avi Luzon, immediately appealed to Interior Minister Roni Bar-On and the director of the ministry, Ram Balinkov, to grant Colautti and Tamuz full citizenship.
Neither Colautti or Tamuz are Israeli citizens. Tamuz grew up in the country after his father came to play professional football there.
Colautti married an Israeli, allowing him to receive permanent resident status. He is their top scorer in the qualifying campaign.
