Rules question for some of the FIFA Rules experts

[Tilla]

The English FA is saying Arteta cannot represent England because according to FIFA rules, he played for Spain in other competitions at the youth level. I thought a new rule had changed that. What gives?

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/...s-Arteta-hopes

[Gamma]

i think if he had not played at the youth level he would have been eligible.
it is mostly centred around the fact that his british citizenship is by residence not lineage.

in other words, robbie earle would have been eligible for jamaican citizenship his entire life, not so with arteta. that is how they have interpreted 18 (a) and i tend to agree with them.

if for example arteta had been living in england and was eleigible for english citizenship at the time he was playing u/21 then he would have been eligible for 2 countries, but if a brasilian who has never repped brasil at any level got citizenship after he turned 21 then he/she can play for their new country.

that is my understanding.

[Twan]

Article 18.1.a within the Fifa statutes outlines that any player who has represented their country in an official competition, at whatever level, would at that time need to have held a passport for the country they later wish to play for in order to be permitted to make the switch.

[Sickko]

So how did Bruce Grobellaar (sic) switch from England to his country of birth even as an adult

[Gamma]

those rules were not in place at the time.

[Karl]

So how did Bruce Grobellaar (sic) switch from England to his country of birth even as an adult

Maybe he had dual citizenships...besides other conditions may have held as in Bruce Grobelaar's time the rules were not as the are now.

*I seem to remember that not so long ago if the player was in other respects qualified to represent more than one country there was a waiting period of 2 years before that person could represent his new country (?).

**...I also seem to remember that in the past players (not sure about the present time) that players could represent one country in the past in friendlies and then switch to another country reprsenting that country in friendlies and FIFA recognised competitions.

*** I also seem to remember that in the plaste players could represent one country at junior levels and then switch to represent another country as senior player.

* & ** & *** Check them out as Shady Pines like memory can be woozy!