“Nationality needs to mean something again.”
We’re not exactly sure when we’ll know who Declan Rice will represent at international level.
According to a report in the Irish Daily Star, Rice may release a statement following Ireland’s friendly against Poland. We’re taking that with a pinch of salt and, until Rice speaks, his international future will remain a topic of discussion.
There are a few different schools of thought when it comes to Rice. Some, like Ireland captain Seamus Coleman, for example, believe the West Ham man is entitled to weigh up the possibility of playing for England. They would also, in Coleman’s words, welcome him back to the Ireland set-up “with open arms.”
The more unforgiving quarters believe that Rice shouldn’t have to think about it, having already played for Ireland – albeit in friendlies – with great pride and passion (when the U21s beat Azerbaijan in March, he could be seen kissing the badge while celebrating a goal).
Rice is getting a lot of sympathy – and rightly so. He is a young man, an inexperienced footballer who has suddenly become the focal point of a raging debate about nationalism and identity in football.
The 19-year-old is getting sympathy from the English media too.
“I feel for him,” The Mirror’s Darren Lewis said on Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement.
“He’s in a difficult situation. The Republic of Ireland clearly need him and England have spoken to him. He’s had players suggesting that they’d rather not have him if he needs to take the time to decide. When you get to the point when you need to decide for whom you’re going to play, there are commercial considerations as well as whether or not you’ll get into the team.
Declan Rice to "release statement on his international future" next week https://t.co/PFPYprfFmo
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) September 6, 2018
Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail took a stronger stance, claiming that there needs to be an age cut-off for young players declaring their allegiance.
“If international football is dying and it is becoming increasingly irrelevant and the way to guarantee it becomes irrelevant is to make it an extension of club football,” Samuel said.
“I think there should be an age cut-off where you pick your country, and I realise there’s a movement of labour and a lot of people qualify for different countries, it shouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility that for the integrity of international football.
“It has got to be the best of ours against the best of yours and nationality has got to mean something again. It shouldn’t just be like picking from a catalogue because that’s what turns people off international football.”
https://twitter.com/SundaySupp/status/1038748423401426944
Rice is still only 19 and yet he is feeling the pressure of deciding. In contrast, Wilfried Zaha didn’t declare for Ivory Coast until he was 24. There is a growing sense that whatever happens with Rice, there may be ramifications which see a changing of the rules.
Samuel’s suggestion for an age cut-off would be a fairly radical change and whether it comes to that remains to be seen.
