I was always under the impression that Ryan Giggs chose Wales over England...

but it seems that he was ineligible to play for us anyway? (When I say us I mean England, not Turkey):

The Football Association of Wales is backing a proposed rule that would have meant England striker Michael Owen could have chosen to represent Wales.

The proposal is to change the eligibility criteria of which home nation British players can represent.

The current rule states a player can only play for a nation if he, a parent or grandparent was born there.

Players with five years of compulsory education in the specified country would be eligible under the new plans.

So, if the proposed criteria had been implemented a few years ago, Owen could have represented Wales.

The Manchester United star was raised and educated in Hawarden in north Wales, but could not represent Wales as he was born to English parents in Chester, the nearest maternity hospital.

Equally, if the new rule had previously been implemented former Wales captain and Owen's United team-mate Ryan Giggs could have opted to play for England.

Cardiff-born winger Giggs has lived in the Manchester area since the age of six and even captained England's schoolboys at Wembley, but was ineligible to represent England's senior teams.


Ryan Shawcross could play for Wales under the new proposals
However, when interviewed in the past, Giggs has insisted that he would never have chosen to represent England, even if he had been eligible.

In a BBC interview in 2001, he said: "I'm Welsh through and through - I was born in Wales, I grew up in Wales and my family are Welsh.

"I only played for England Schoolboys because I went to an English school."

The following year, he added: "It still bugs me when people ask if I wished I'd played for England - I'm Welsh, end of story.

"I'd rather go through my career without qualifying for a major championship than play for a country where I wasn't born or which my parents didn't have anything to do with."

The Scottish Football Association is leading the proposal for British players to be able to represent their chosen country if they have spent five years of compulsory education there before the age of 16.

The Irish Football Association, which represents Northern Ireland, and the Welsh FA have given their backing to the plan.

The Football Association is now considering the proposed eligibility criteria change and the plan will have to be ratified by world football's governing body Fifa before it becomes official.

If the proposal becomes a rule it would mean Stoke City's highly-rated centre-back Ryan Shawcross, a reported £9m transfer target of Liverpool, could also represent Wales.

The 21-year-old was raised in Buckley in Flintshire but was born in Chester.

Shawcross played for the Wales schoolboys team but has recently earned an England Under-21 call-up and has been tipped as a future England international by Stoke boss Tony Pulis.

St Mirren's Andy Dorman also grew up in north Wales but was born in Chester - and the midfielder has already expressed his desire to play for Wales, where he spent all of his childhood.

"People who grew up in Wales often can't represent the country they've lived in most of their life because their nearest maternity hospital is in England," Flynn told BBC Sport.

"That is the case in parts of mid and north Wales near the borders where the local hospitals are in Chester and Shrewsbury.

"So they could have been brought up, been educated and spent all of their life in Wales and consider it to be their country but they are only, in fact, eligible to represent England at senior level."

The four "Home Nations" are in a unique position as, while players play for different countries, they all have the same passports as United Kingdom nationals.

Meanwhile, some players born abroad to British parents have been able to choose which of the four UK nations to represent - such as Channel Islanders Graeme Le Saux and Matthew Le Tissier, who both opted for England, while Wales' past players include Cyprus-born Jeremy Goss and Singapore-born Eric Young.

However, the four nations have a stricter eligibility criteria than Fifa actually demand as other international teams can call up a "foreign" player once he is naturalised after two years in that country.

£#%&!ing hell koppas. you're such an ignorant @#%&!.

Fair play to giggs

Originally Posted by wiganste

£#%&!ing hell koppas. you're such an ignorant @#%&!.

I honestly didn't think there were people who still didn't know this? Born in cardiff to welsh parents?

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

I honestly didn't think there were people who still didn't know this?

Same here.

What a stupid @#%&!.

Originally Posted by wiganste

£#%&!ing hell koppas. you're such an ignorant @#%&!.

I am not ignorant.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

I honestly didn't think there were people who still didn't know this?

Well, now you know differently. I thought he could have played for us but chose Wales 'cos of his momma.

Originally Posted by koppas

I am not ignorant.



Well, now you know differently. I thought he could have played for us but chose Wales 'cos of his momma.

No he chose the name Giggs after his parents divorced 'cos it's his Mum's name and his Dad is a bit of a dick

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

No he chose the name Giggs after his parents divorced 'cos it's his Mum's name and his Dad is a bit of a dick

Yes, I know. I have read his book. I meant I thought that was why he chose to play for that shit country.

Surely this has already changed? If Almunia can play for England, why not Giggs for England and Owen for Wales (assuming they hadn't already represented their country)

Originally Posted by Spiffy

Surely this has already changed? If Almunia can play for England, why not Giggs for England and Owen for Wales (assuming they hadn't already represented their country)

Apparently not according to aforementioned article.

Originally Posted by koppas

Yes, I know. I have read his book. I meant I thought that was why he chose to play for that shit country.

After the Darren Gibson debacle I thought you could pretty much play for whatever country took your fancy.

Originally Posted by koppas

Apparently not according to aforementioned article.

Yeah it'll be down to the "no poaching policy". Basically to prevent England nicking all the best Welshmen, Scots and NI players. We should £#%&! that off. What do we care if the small nations never have anyone decent represent them? It's not like they'd ever make a difference.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Sorry, I forgot you are from that 'shit' country. Probably why you are getting so defensive.

Originally Posted by koppas

Yes, I know. I have read his book. I meant I thought that was why he chose to play for that shit country.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Turk calling Wales a shit country. YCNMIU.

Originally Posted by koppas

Sorry, I forgot you are from that 'shit' country. Probably why you are getting so defensive.

Not getting defensive my Kurdish friend.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Not getting defensive my Kurdish friend.

Reported.

Originally Posted by koppas

Reported.

Now who's getting defensive you stupid little £#%&!er.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Now who's getting defensive you stupid little £#%&!er.

I am not little. Not doing well today are you?