Rocking the Boatengs: is it too easy to switch footballing loyalties?
Post categories: World Cup 2010,ÌýWorld Cup Have Your Say
| 19:03 UK time, Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Two brothers who could be on the pitch together in the Ghana v Germany game later have made plenty of headlines since the nations were drawn against each other.
and Boateng and both have the same Ghanaian dad;Â they're half-brothers, with different German mums.
Despite the near identical background, Jerome is likely to be on Germany's bench tonight - and .
After playing for German national youth teams as a teenager, Kevin-Prince opted for Ghana last year when it was clear his chances with the senior German side would be limited: he .
Controversial enough, even before he in the FA Cup final.
And he's not the only player in this World Cup to play for a different country to the one you might have originally expected.
A couple of the Portuguese goals so far have been scored by who naturalised last year (something Portugal's ).
Argentina has given and to Paraguay and to Chile.
An incredible were born outside Algeria (and some hadn't even visited until recently).
Winding back a couple of years, who can forget the late Polish President Kaczynski suddenly coming up with two months before Euro 2008?!
They've been having this debate in Ìý°ù±ð³¦±ð²Ô³Ù±ô²â:
Coach Calisto has pledged to call up only 'good' naturalised players and to preserve the essential identity of the Vietnamese squad.
... because, let's face it, we'd all swallow any objections we might have if Lionel Messi had suddenly decided he wanted to play for our team - wouldn't we?!
Lots of questions and lots of issues here ... maybe this is a natural consequence of a globalised world,Ìýwith split family loyalties, a mobile workforce and a more complex view of nationality?
Or does choosing a nation not for reasons of loyalty and passion, but just to get a game in a big tournament, devalue international football?
And should it be harder to switch between countries if you've already represented one at youth level?
Frankly, do you really care, as long as they're good players and on your side?!
