And there's such a thing as dual nationality (or dual citizenship).
Yeah Ben is English but he's also Welsh. And the country he represents is his choice alone.
Being a Welsh footballer and a Welsh national are not the same thing. Now I have to go and provide a bunch of information with quotes.
According to the laws set by UK government, people can acquire nationality from their parent. Mother or Father. These laws are made in connected sovereign states. I will outline nationality and citizenship here.
1) A National is automatically a citizen 2) Born outside the UK, if their parents are a national they are also a national. 3) Expats are still a national.
The UK does not take into consideration grandparents nationality any more than next doors nationality or best friend nationality etc... it has to be a parent.
The part of Ireland that is outside of the UK allows for people to get an Irish passport from Grandparents, but UK never had grandparent's citizenship passed down like this.
Ben Woordburn has English parents, both of them. He lived in England all his life and was born in England.
Liverpool scouted him early from his home town that is very close to the Welsh border.
If Wales left the UK, Woodburn would probably need a visa to live in Wales but not England.
How is he allowed to play for Wales then? Simply because FIFA have their own rules on who can represent what country that does not coincide with nationality or citizenship. FIFA rules takes precedence over local sovereign nationality laws.
I will provide evidence then I expect this to be a closed matter.
Football rules;
Rules state that a player can represent the land of their birth, the land of either of their parentsâ birth, or the birthplace of any one of their grandparents. This applies to all age-grades.
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpools-ben-woodburn-welsh-english-12253550One way people gain nationality.
You might already be a British citizen based on where and when you were born, or your parentsâ circumstances. Check if youâre a British citizen if youâre not sure.https://www.gov.uk/types-of-british-nationality/british-citizenshipGrandparent is not a way. Since Wales and England are both part of the UK it is not a thing that will come to light, however consider the scenario Woodburn's grandparent was French, he would still be able to represent France without having any legal right to live there after Brexit.
« Last Edit: Sep 03, 2017 09:23:42 pm by Ribapuru »
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