TNT Sports
Israel lose strikers
By
Published 22/06/2007 at 10:36 GMT+1
FIFA have declared that two of Israel's key strikers are ineligible to play for the national team on account of not being full citizens. The ruling is a boost to Euro 2008 Group E rivals England as Roberto Colautti is Israel's top scorer in the current ca
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
Israel are due to play England at Wembley on September 8th.
"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 jeopardize 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."
The implication is that players of immigrant backgrounds feared leaving their adoptive country for a stronger league lest they lose the right to represent that nation.
Argentina-born Colautti has right of permanent residence on account of being married to an Israeli but - like Toto Tamuz, who is of Nigerian origin but grew up in Israel after his father moved there to play football - does not have full citizenship.
IFA Chairman Avi Luzon wants the pair to be granted full citizenship immediately and will speak personally to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
"The new regulations deal a serious blow to the national team," Luzon said.
"It is clear to all just how big a contribution Tamuz and Colautti have made to the team. We will do everything we can to ensure they can play for Israel."
The government, however, claim that they will not make special allowances for the FA.
"The laws of the State of Israel apply to everyone and they will not be changed because of a ruling by FIFA," a spokeswoman for the Israeli Interior Ministry told the newspaper Haaretz.
Tamuz has lived in Israel since the age of three and is due to receive full citizenship, whereas it is unknown if Colautti ever will.
- REDA MAHER -
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement