Deutschland not fatherland for Dundee

AS HE blows out the candles on his 24th birthday cake today, life will probably look quite good to Sean Dundee. He has scored 12 goals this season and on Wednesday his fellow professionals in the Bundesliga voted him their player of the year. Now all that needs sorting is a country to call his own.

Born and raised in Durban, Dundee says he is "still South African inside". But now, more than anything else; he would like to become a German. "I want to be German because I'm happy in Germany," he said recently. "Everything I have is in Germany." And the only person who wants that more than Dundee is Berti Vogts.

German law allows the state to grant fast-track citizenship to 10 exceptional sportsmen and women each year - the normal qualification period is 10 years. Dundee's application for a swift "endeutschment" has the backing of the German Football Federation. And Vogts last night went on national television to argue the case.

Friedhelm-Julius Beucher, deputy spokesman on sport for the opposition Social Democrats, was a lonely opposing voice on the same programme. "This debate began back in August, but it's getting a bit hotter now," Beucher says, "I think because Juergen Klinsmann is no more so good at getting goals.

"We don't agree with these speedy citizenships, not especially with regard to Dundee but for all sportsmen," Beucher says. "There are a lot of people who have been living here for 17 years, 20 years and they are not allowed to become German. It is not an act of equality to prefer only some people because they are very successful in getting goals. And our young sportsmen and women must also have a chance to take part in a national team."

That concern, Beucher says, has also prompted the German Sports Federation to come out in opposition to these special exemptions. But while the law stands, Dundee, like the Romanian high jumper Alina Astafai, who represented Germany at the Atlanta Olympics, is entitled to ask. Germany's Minister of Internal Affairs is expected to reach a decision by January.

German football last went to the men from the ministry to secure the services of the former Manchester City striker Maurizio Gaudino - Italian born, but raised in West Germany - who eventually played just five games for the national team.

But Vogts has been concerned for some time now about the steady ageing and increasing ineffectiveness of his forwards. Dundee's coach at Karlsruhe, Winfried Schafer, has rated his man as one of the best since plucking him from the amateur ranks of TSF Ditzingen last season. The club's £100,000 investment paid off immediately with Dundee scoring 16 goals to finish joint top scorer with Klinsmann.

"Sean is just a natural goalscorer," says Schafer. "His composure and reactions in the box are exceptional."

In South Africa, they believe that form prompted Vogts to move in on Dundee nearly a year ago. Last December, Germany met South Africa in Johannesburg and Dundee, in the South African squad for the first time was picked for the starting lineup.

"He came out and trained the entire week and then the day before the match he pulled up with a calf injury," says South African coach Clive Barker. "There was talk that Berti Vogts had made an overture to him after hearing he was picked and the Karlsruhe chairman and coach flew out to speak to Dundee. They actually travelled on the South African team bus to our training session."

Wolfgang Nies Bach of the German Football Federation dismisses the suggestions of poaching as "laughable". As to the calf injury - if Dundee had played, he would have become ineligible for any other country - Barker says: "I hope it was genuine. My physio and my doctor both thought it was genuine, but everybody else in South Africa thought it wasn't, and maybe they were right."

Dundee asked not to be considered for South Africa's Cup of Nations squad - he now claims he wasn't picked - but as South Africa prepared for a World Cup qualifier against Zaire last month, Barker made one last overture. "He said he would rather leave it," Barker says. Barker says the door is still open - we are not bitter against Dundee, he's a young man trying to do the best for himself. He looks easy, he glides nicely, he knows how to sniff out a goal. He finishes very, very accurately.

But letters to South Africa's biggest selling daily, a populist tabloid called The Sowetan, calling him a "white traitor" suggest that others will slam that door on his toes. And Dundee has made his feelings pretty plain.

In a recent interview with African Soccer magazine, Dundee - who left South Africa at the age of 19 to join second division Stuttgarter Kickers - said that he had not enjoyed his brief spell with the South African squad.

"When I went back some of the other players didn't take to me so well," he said. "I mean, I was new and I wasn't training, and I noticed that in practice games they didn't seem to be interested in playing with me. Maybe they were jealous, I don't know, but I didn't feel welcome at all."

Significantly, in the same interview, he pointed out that playing in Africa - where internationals are always on weekends - would hamper his club career: "FIFA rules would allow me to travel but I would miss games here and it's more important for me to play in Germany. Also, I'm not interested in spending half my life on aeroplanes."

So it looks like Deutschland not fatherland for Dundee. Dublin is definitely out. After indicating through the press that he might be eligible for the Republic of Ireland, Mick McCarthy flew out to watch Dundee, but gave up the chase when he saw how many "greats" preceded the word grandparent.

If the application for German citizenship succeeds, and with low-key backing from the ruling Christian Democrats it should, Dundee would have seven World Cup qualifiers to look forward to next year.

And with Ukraine (twice), Northern Ireland away and Portugal (where he might be marked by Johannesburg boy Dimas Texeira) among the fixtures, Vogts is bound to give him a chance. Intriguingly Germany's international calendar finishes with the Inter-Continental Challenge in Saudi Arabia. South Africa, winners of the African Cup of Nations this year, will be representing Africa.

And should the draw throw Germany up as opposition - the teams drew 0-0 last year - the thought in both dressing rooms might just be: "If you can't join them, beat 'em."