www.worldcuplatest.comJustin Hoyte refuses chance to play for T&T -
Beenhakker go after Zamora & Samuel.England U-21 and Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte has said he will turn down the Soca Warriors coach Leo Beenhakker’s invitation to go to this summer's World Cup Finals with Trinidad and Tobago in order to concentrate on graduating to the senior England squad.
Soca Warriors coach Leo Beenhakker revealed last week that Hoyte, who is on a season-long loan at fellow Premiership rivals, Sunderland, was one of a list of English-born players with family links to Trinidad that he wants to make the move to Trinidad and Tobago’s national team for the finals in Germany.
T&T have been drawn in World Cup Group B along with England, Paraguay and Sweden, and Hoyte’s participation for T&T in Germany would have meant the possibility that Hoyte could have found himself playing against the country of his birth this summer.
But Hoyte, who has been capped seven times by England at Under-21 level, has said he will decline any advances made by Beenhakker because he feels that he would prefer to keep on pushing for an England Senior team call-up.
Hoyte said: “I've read about Trinidad and Tobago looking into the possibility of calling up several players in the Premiership, including myself.
“It's flattering, of course, and the chance of playing in a World Cup would be great. But for the moment I plan to concentrate purely on my England career and I'm hoping that one day I'll be playing for England in a World Cup.
“I've played for England at Under-17, 18, 19 and Under-21 levels and I've still got ambitions to play in the senior squad.
“That has been my dream since I was a youngster and I'm not giving up on that.
“I'm still young, just 22, and one day I'm hoping to be good enough to play for England and pull on the three lions shirt at the ultimate level.”
Beenhakker has already convinced Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner to represent T&T’s Warriors, and the Dutchman also intends to try to approach Aston Villa's J Lloyd Samuel and West Ham's Bobby Zamora.
According to FIFA rules, players can switch which national team even after representing one country at Under-21 level, but even had Hoyte chosen to join Trinidad & Tobago, the TTFF would still have had to convince FIFA to make an exception to the rules for Hoyte could play for the Caribbean nation.
Under the current FIFA regulations, players must switch nation’s before they reach 21 - and Justin Hoyte was 22 back in November.
Beenhakker had intended to appeal to FIFA to sway the rules on the age issue but after Hoyte’s comments that is now irrelevant.
Beenhakker is hoping to tempt Arsenal's Justin Hoye to play for T&TTrinidad and Tobago are hoping to be able to take Arsenal defender Justin Hoyte to the World Cup this summer. Soca Warriors coach Leo Beenhakker is hoping to discuss the Arsenal full-back’s situation with FIFA, and feels that he may be able to take Hoyte to the World Cup in Germany, as part of the Warriors squad, along with others such as West Ham's Bobby Zamora and J.Lloyd Samuel of Aston Villa.
Since qualifying for their first ever finals, Trinidad and Tobago head coach Leo Beenhakker has responded to the challenge of facing England, Sweden and Paraguay in Group B by seeking out, and actively recruiting new members for the T&T World Cup squad, and Beenhakker is set to formally approach FIFA to see if he can secure clearance to pick Hoyte, despite the fact he has represented England at Under-21 level.
T&T are looking at the possibility of exploiting the FIFA rule (introduced in 2002), which allows players to switch their national allegiance even if they've already played at a junior level for a different country.
Previously, players had been allowed to play at schoolboy level for one country and then at international level for another, because schoolboy level is all about where you go to school rather than about what your nationality is (hence famous examples such as Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs who played schoolboy football for England, but plays for Wales).
Once a player has played at any level from a junior (Under17, U19, U21) level upwards, your nationality is fixed as far as FIFA are concerned. The new ruling was introduced basically to help smaller countries and has been exploited a lot by African nations in the last few years.
Hoyte, who is currently on loan at Sunderland, has represented England at U21 level, and any plans to switch his footballing nationality may be undone by an addition to the FIFA rule, which states that the change has to be made before the player reaches the age of 21, but the Arsenal defender turned 21 back in November.
Trinidad and Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker is going to give it a try though, and is going to approach FIFA with a formal request to be allowed to pick Hoyte for his squad, along with others such as West Ham's Bobby Zamora and J.Lloyd Samuel of Aston Villa.
There have been no comments yet from Hoyte, and it is still unclear that Hoyte would even accept the offer to plat for T&T.
If FIFA do allow the switch, and Hoyte does decide to accept T&T's offer, he could find himself playing against his former teammate Freddie Ljungberg in his first competitive match at full international level, and facing his home nation England in his second match.
Hoyte is on loan at Sunderland this season, where he's been playing well, and Hoyte's potential is such that it wouldn't be surprising if he felt that he has enough potential to be able to get into the full England Senior squad to make the option of playing for T&T not to be all that attractive.
Related storiesMalaga striker Patricio Edgar has failed in his bid to represent Angola at World CupMalaga striker Patricio Edgar has failed in his bid to represent Angola at FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. FIFA rejected his application to switch his ‘footballing nationality’ because he failed to submit his request in time. Edgar had previously represented Portugal at full international level; however, this was for a mere 17 minutes in a friendly against Mozambique in 1998.
In a change of rules two years ago, FIFA allowed players who were under 21 to change their national allegiance if they had represented a second country at junior level and held dual nationality. Players over 21 were given a one year period in which to make their applications to switch nationality. The deadline for any submissions was 31 December 2004.
Edgar submitted his request last July, missing the deadline by six months, and a FIFA spokesman has confirmed that the 28 year-old, who has also played for Real Madrid and Benfica, would not be allowed to represent the Palancas Negras at next summer’s tournament.
Angola Boss Luis Oliveira Goncalves is Thwarted in His Chase For Rafael NandoHertha Berlin striker Rafael Nando has turned down the offer to represent the country of his birth, Angola, at next summer’s FIFA World Cup Germany 2006.
The 'Palancas Negras' coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves is looking to strengthen his squad ahead of next year’s tournament, and had approached Nando in the hope that he would be tempted by the opportunity of playing on the largest stage in world football. However, Goncalves’ efforts proved fruitless.
Speaking recently, Nando gave his reasons for turning down the offer. “It’s because I’ve grown up here (Germany). I left Angola when I was 10 years old. The most important time in my life was in Europe. I had a lot of hard times in Holland, so when I came here these people gave me back what I wanted, which was to play football and be happy in life. So that’s why I decided to be here and play for them.”
The 21 year-old forward is a regular for Hertha Berlin and has represented Germany at Under-21 level on six occasions, scoring four goals.
His current ambition is to represent Germany at the Under-21 European Championships next May. If he can perform well in that tournament there could still be a chance that German boss Jurgen Klinsmann will call him up to the senior squad in time for the finals in June.
Asked about his eligibility to play for Angola, Nando admitted. “In the rules I can play (for Angola), but I think my decision is to play for the national team of Germany."
Although they will find it tough going in Group D, which includes Mexico and Portugal, Nando still wants Angola to do well, saying he would like to see them progressing beyond the group stages. Despite the fact that he won't be there to play for them he still wished them all the best at next year's finals.
