Eric Lichaj

This isn’t aimed directly at this person himself, more the scenario he has recently found himself in. There are only 3 groups of people who are going to recognise his name. 1, Aston Villa supporters, 2, USA football fans – by football I mean proper football, not rugby with protection, what you call soccer, football, play with the feet!, and 3, Poland football fans.

This young kid, I can say that because I’m older than him albeit only by a year, but this young kid has not really caused an uproar, nor a commotion, or even an international debate but raised a point in the game of football I’ve always found intriguing and interesting. He was born in America to Polish parents, and has recently chosen to play for the United States in a game against Poland. That got me thinking. Nationality, the person you are, where you come from, what makes you who you are, which side of the coin should it fall. Should it depend what country you are born in, or the heritage of your parents, the 2 who gave birth you to.

I’ve always believed it should be that you uptake the nationality of your parents, so if your parents are English, you are English, regardless of where you are born. If your Mum is Spanish and your Dad Albanian (just for examples sake) then you are 1/2 Spanish, 1/2 Albanian, the fact you were born in England has nothing to do with it. I myself was very close to being born in Canada to English parents. Had I grown up to become a half decent football star I’d have shown my allegiance to England rather than Canada because my parents are English. But had I been born in Canada, would that make me Canadian? I don’t think so becaue my parents were just visiting. But even so, if they had emigrated there, my blood, my ancestoral blood is English. Yes, you can take that further and follow my bloodline all the way back as far as it goes. I have no idea where it goes and it could turn out I’m actually French, but my parents are English, hence I’m English.

This raises another interesting point. It is mainly amongst sportstars we hear this. Various players pledging their allegiances to a particular country. It is fairly straightforward in my eyes, if you’re English, you qualify to play for England only. If you’re Irish you qualify to play for Ireland only. But whether it be a player isn’t good enough (99% of the time) to play for the country of their birth. There again, their birth, where they were born, rather than the nationality of their parents. If they aren’t good enough, and they happen to have a grandfather who was Malaysian, they can play for the Malaysian football team because of that!?!?! It’s Ludcicrous. Either you are one nationality and one nationality only, or nothing, you don’t exist. Players shouldn’t be able to play for a grandfather’s country if they won’t break into their country or their father’s country.

This post is quickly expanding to the likes of Mikel Arteta and Manuel Almunia, who are Spanish, but have lived in England for the pescribed amount of time and as a result are able to apply for English citizenship and therefore be able to play for England. Granted, Arteta is a smashing player who would do well in the England team, Almunia on the other hand we don’t need as we have the super Joe Hart who will be England keeper for the next 10 years, mark my words. Players who wouldn’t get into their country’s 22 man squad by merit and ability shouldn’t be able to change citizenship and have the chance to play for a country they’ve happened to live in.

To me it denegrates who we are, where we come from, if we can change our nationality, the thing that makes us us. I could live in Estonia for 15 years, become an Estonian citzen, but the fact is, I was born in England to English parents, I will always be English no matter what a piece of paper says. It shouldn’t be allowed for people to change nationalities for living in a country a certian amount of time. You can’t hide, eradicate, change where you come from. People should embrace it, not want to become someone else by those means. Eric Lichaj has made his choice and chosen the country of his birth, but me personally, would have chosen Poland because that would be were my heritage, my folks come from.