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Editor’s note: Just as this article was being made ready for posting, Mikel Arteta’s ineligibility was announced. However, WFC still believes the issues of player eligibility remain unresolved, even if Mikel Arteta’s case has been. So, please read on and decide for yourself.
In South africa, England was lacking a creative spark...
Do you remember way back, in the springtime of England’s 2010 World Cup dreams, when anything seemed possible? Brazil and Spain were within reach and the only real problem that Fabio Capello had was the lack of a proven goalkeeper. Oh, to be young again. Sadly, another generation of England fans have been forced to grow up too quickly, discovering that the footballing world is a cruel, hard place.
Now it’s autumn and the FA are trying to pick up the pieces of a crumbled dream. Under pressure from fans and the media to not make the same mistakes and perform as is expected of an England team when the Euros arrive in 2012, new chairman Roger Burden, Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League overlord, and the rest of the board have had to consider suggestions from all quarters on how best to go about it.
The FA has made several decisions quite quickly, in laying plans for the reconstruction. Should they let Capello go? (No, he stays) What to do to resolve the poor pitch issues at Wembley? (Install a real and artificial hybrid blend) What can be done to accelerate the development of young English players? (To begin, the implementation of the Homegrown Rule on 1 September) The shape of the Euro squad has slowed them up, however.
In their first action since waking up from their pleasant dreams to the horrible realities of Rustenburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and, at the last, Blomfontein, the Three Lions took to the pitch against Hungary, receiving an ambivalent welcome from those faithful who did decide to come. Much like their greeting, the squad was a mix of the fallen heroes and new faces eager to make their mark. Unfortunately, Phil Jagielka’s own goal didn’t do much for the hopes of the youngbloods, although their blushes were spared by a brace from captain Steven Gerrard. The England team, despite the win, seem trapped in a dark place, casting about for some light.
...but would Arteta bowing to the Queen, rather than a king, truly make him an Englishman?
Last week, however, there came either a ray of hope or an oncoming train, dependent upon your worldly outlook. Everton’s wonderfully talented midfielder Mikel Arteta, who has had the misfortune of being only the ninth or tenth best player at his position in his home country of Spain, suggested that he might be very pleased to play for England, where he would likely be considered in the top three, alongside Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Amongst the many who raised their half full glasses and drained it to the health of the Toffee’s playmaker (and took up a petition for his canonisation), there were a few old gaffers, frowning at the barmaid’s tardiness in topping off their empty looking mugs, whilst muttering thatsomething just wasn’t right about this. Unfortunately, WFC editor Martin Palazzotto falls into the latter category , while new writer Tapesh Patel is firmly in the camp of the former. In the interests of world peace and the general entertainment of others, the pair have agreed to sit down together, sample some Tucher’s on draught and see if they can come to an understanding.
Tapesh: When we talk about Mikel Arteta, I think we should talk about the player himself, before approaching the whole nationality issue. The key point is: if he obtained dual nationality and became eligible for England, would he get into the squad? In my opinion, he most definitely would. In fact, I personally would put him into the starting eleven.
There's no question the Three Lions would welcome him, as well.
One of England’s current problems is a perceived lack of creativity in midfield. This is strange, because the main pairing, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, are both fairly creative players. What we have seen over the years, though, is that both like to get forward when possible.
What England have lacked, then, is a foot-on-ball playmaker, with the ability to pass to a Gerrard or a Lampard. Hence the outcry for the return of Paul Scholes (who, by the way, is too old). This lack of such a passer meant that Wayne Rooney tended to drop deep to make the play, which left the now departed Emile Heskey (yikes!) up front.
I believe Arteta is the solution. His ability to dictate play, combined with excellent technique and outstanding passing ability, cannot be matched at the moment by any English player. Tom Huddlestone or Jack Wilshere might become that player in the future, but they are not ready to be regulars yet.
Also, the guy takes a decent penalty!
...but are mercenaries what we want at the World Cup?
Martin: You’re not going to get any argument out of me on Arteta’s ability or where he would fit in with the England squad. If he were from just about anywhere other than Spain (Brazil and Argentina spring to mind as exceptions), he might very well be a veteran of three World Cups by now. But the plain, unvarnished truth is that he is a Spaniard. As such, he should not be available to play for England.
Mikel Arteta is far from the first player to be considered for inclusion in a foreign squad. There have been several before him and many more are likely to follow. Some, like Kevin-Prince Boateng, Lukas Podolski and Giuseppe Rossi are doing it for the love of the nation they represent. I applaud and welcome that. On the other hand, there’s the onetime Chelsea midfielder Deco, a Brazilian, who just concluded his international career with Portugal and promptly returned home to play out the string with Fluminese. As his tenure with the Iberians went on, it was rationalised that the two nations were, culturally speaking, close cousins. That is true enough and if Deco had made his permanent home in Portugal, I would have been content with that line of reasoning. Yet, the abruptness of his return to Brazil laid bare his true intent. He was playing for himself, rather than for love of country. We should never forget (Ashley Cole) that the latter is what the World Cup is about.
Tapesh: I definitely agree with you that this question is ultimately one of pride. So, these questions really need to be taken on a player-by-player basis. We live in a world where many people have divided identities, especially in football. In fact, the case of Kevin-Prince Boateng is one of the best examples of this. Infamously, he did not talk to his brother Jerome before facing him in the World Cup. That really goes to show that people from the same background can view their identities in completely different ways.
Unlike his countryman, Senna settled permanently in his adopted country.
A case very similar to that of Arteta, was Marcos Senna. The Brazilian began playing in his native country before moving abroad, to further his career. He went to La Liga, with Villareal, settling there, before gaining citizenship and playing for Spain. One could not doubt Senna’s commitment to the cause; it was something integral to his role. Starring in Euro 2008 as midfield enforcer, his displays led many to name him as one of the players of the tournament.
Coming back to Arteta, he seems a very loyal player, as well as a person of substance, having stated that he wouldn’t want to move to clubs like Arsenal or Manchester City in the hope of reaching the Spain team. He’s braved Scottish winters in Glasgow, having played for Rangers from 2002-04, and has learnt the intricacies of the Scouse accent. Given his background, I think he would be proud to step out for England, the country where his career has really blossomed.
Martin: I can appreciate that Arteta seems to be a more honourable candidate than Deco. It’s very loyal of him to publicly decline a possible move to another club, after Everton has treated him so well, even though it might help him crack the Spanish lineup. Still, by his own statement, his preferred choice would be Spain. And there lies the rub. Boateng’s first choice was Ghana, even though Germany, where he was both eligible and wanted, offered a better chance for glory. That’s what I mean by love of country.
That he is a ‘person of substance,’ as you put it, and a great player certainly garners Arteta my sympathy and while these cases do have to be judged on individual merit, the criteria used to decide the matter must ultimately be whether or not the candidate has cultural ties, of some kind, to the nation he would represent.
Georgie may be the best of but not the only great to have never been to the World Cup.
Take George Best as an example. The Northern Irishman was perhaps the greatest British player ever. Yet, with his country being minnows, he never played in a World Cup. For most of his adult life, he lived (and partied) in England and was a stand out for United. What if he had pulled a Stephen Ireland, early in his career, and declined to represent his homeland, instead repatriating to England. Think how that would have lessened his legacy within the game. Sometimes, your greatness is also measured by what you weren’t able to accomplish.
Andy Carroll, for all his supposed immaturity, has passed this test by declining the invitation of Craig Levein and the Scots. No, for me, Mikel Arteta must make do with the cards life has dealt him.
Tapesh: I think cultural ties are usually fixed at a young age, but can also be gained or transformed later on in life. The fact is that naturalised citizens will always face the question of when their identity shifts to that of the nation in which they live.
Different people, understandably, have different views on the matter but I think government is designed to represent the views of a nation. As such, I think that Arteta should be considered an Englishman since he now qualifies for dual-nationality by law. The country has a long history of successful assimilation of immigrants, which I think is also demonstrated within the domain of sport. For this reason, I think that most English people would welcome him playing for our national team.
If managers are eligible, why not players?
It’s also fair to argue that the England team lost part of its identity in 2000, when Sven-Goran Eriksson became the first foreign manager of England. This then set the precedent for Fabio Capello to manage the team, and while many opposed the very idea of a foreign manager, at first, no-one was complaining when England flawlessly gained qualification for the World Cup this summer. If there is one person who symbolises the team, it has to be the England manager, who takes a post frequently described around the world as ‘the toughest job in football’.
I was one of those that felt English patriotism took a blow with Eriksson’s appointment. The fact is, though, that the game is different nowadays – even at international level. Therefore, if Arteta wished to become part of the national setup, I see no reason for denying him what is rightfully his.
Martin: I’ve got no truck with foreign managers being involved in a national program; it helps develop the game, especially in the far corners of the football world. Let them have at it, I say. They can coach, advise and play the figurehead all they like, because when you get right down to it, championships are won on the pitch, by the players. That simple fact puts them into two different categories.
As for Arteta, I’m not sure what you mean by rightfully his. He’s been in England long enough to apply for a passport, yes, but hasn’t actually gotten, or even asked for one yet. There is a process to go through, after all. It’s not like he’s trying to buy a Premier League club. If that were the case, then, naturally, you’d just hand it to him with no questions asked.
I take your point, though. If he had an English passport, he’d have the right to play for England, given that he’s good enough, and who am I to deny him? That is the letter of the law. What I’m trying to champion, however, is its spirit. In order to do that, I don’t believe FIFA can be as trusting, even judging on an individual basis, as you would have them be. I don’t like to be redundant but the ‘alright, you seem like a nice guy’ policy hasn’t worked out too well for the likes of Liverpool and Pompey and won’t, if things continue as they are, for Manchester United.
...Greed is good.
In football, like any other big business...
That English fans would welcome him with open arms goes without saying, as well. It’s human nature, after all, to take advantage in any way we can. We got to the top of the food chain by adapting, being innovative and turning any opportunity to our advantage . Winning at all costs in business and sport is just a product of evolution. And that’s where you’re wrong about government. It’s not there to give us what we want but to make sure we don’t kill each other trying to get it. Allowing foreign players who can’t get a game in their own country to play for any country desperate enough to take them will eventually kill the World Cup.
Look at the America’s Cup of yachting. It was going along nicely for the better part of a century until big money became involved. Suddenly, rules began changing at an alarming pace, until you had the Swiss being crowned champions two times running. The last time I checked an atlas, Switzerland was still a landlocked country. If it had been bankers’ sons, raised on Lake Geneva crewing the Alinghi and its successor, I’d have no complaint. Unfortunately, it was the best Kiwi and Aussie sailors that the Swiss Franc could buy. So much for the battle of nations.
Is that what you want for the World Cup?
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Of course, while Tapesh and Martin were busy having at it, FIFA weighed in and ruled Arteta ineligible due to a little known rule:
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. –BBC report on Arteta’s eligibility to play for England
Arteta did play in an Under 16 competition for Spain and, of course, didn’t have a British passport at the time. So that’s that. Unless, of course, FIFA were to decide to change their rules or make an exception to an existing one, as they’ve been known to do, on occasion. After all, Sepp Blatter is quite happy to have the UK represented by the separate home nations but is unwilling to sanction the Basques or Catalonia to field teams separate from the rest of Spain.
Meanwhile, having been informed that all their arguing was moot, Martin and Tapesh have resolved to go back to the bar and get falling down drunk. How do the rest of you feel? Answer the poll below and, if you like, add a comment through the Intense Debate comment section.
[poll id="13"]
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