Steven Caulker: Ex-England defender cleared to play for Sierra Leone by Fifa
- Published
Steven Caulker, who has played his club football in Turkey since 2019, has already played for Sierra Leone in an unofficial friendly match
Former England international Steven Caulker is now eligible to play for Sierra Leone and could be selected for next month's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The 29-year-old former Tottenham defender was given official clearance on Friday by football's world governing body Fifa to represent the West African country.
"I can confirm that the player's status chamber of Fifa has just cleared Caulker to represent Sierra Leone," the country's football association president Thomas Daddy Brima told 大象传媒 Sport Africa.
Nine years ago Caulker won a single cap for England in a 4-2 loss to Sweden in a friendly match, even weighing in with a goal.
His selection by the Three Lions came after he had played every single minute of Great Britain's campaign at the 2012 London Olympics.
He is eligible to swap allegiances under Fifa regulations and he qualifies to play for the Leone Stars through his paternal grandfather, who is from Sierra Leone.
In October Caulker took part in a training camp with Sierra Leone and played in an unofficial friendly match against a Moroccan team of home-based players.
The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) added that it had been given the green light for Dutch-born Issa Kallon to swap allegiances to play for Sierra Leone.
The 25-year-old forward, who plays for Dutch top-flight side SC Cambuur, had represented the Netherlands at every level from under-15 through to under-20 but is eligible for Sierra Leone through his parents.
The duo could make their competitive debuts at the delayed Nations Cup finals in Cameroon if called up by coach John Keister.
Sierra Leone are set to make their first appearance at the Nations Cup since 1996 and will face defending champions Algeria, Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea in Group E.
Another player who was also told he can represent Sierra Leone without submitting paperwork is Greece-based midfielder Sahr Jonathan Morsay.
Morsay was born in Sweden and played for the Scandinavians in friendlies at Under-19 level, and as such does not need official Fifa approval.
However the 24-year-old recently picked up a hamstring injury and it is doubtful that he will be fit in time for the Nations Cup.