North players cleared to play for Republic

PLAYERS FROM Northern Ireland can continue to declare for the Republic of Ireland, following a landmark case ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland yesterday.

The FAI welcomed “complete and final clarity” on the matter after CAS upheld a Fifa ruling made in February, permitting former Northern Ireland under-17 player Daniel Kearns to play for the Republic of Ireland.

The ruling enshrines the right of players from the north with dual citizenship to follow Kearns and, of course, Manchester United’s Darron Gibson and Portsmouth’s Marc Wilson south if they choose, provided they have not played at senior level for Northern Ireland.

The Irish Football Association (IFA) was ordered to pay all related costs, including a sum of €3,700 to Kearns.

“What this case does,” says Kearns’s legal representative Gary Rice of Beauchamps Solicitors, “is remove the ‘territorial requirement’ for people to play for the Republic when they have Irish citizenship by virtue of them being citizens of Northern Ireland.”

The IFA claimed article 16 of Fifa’s international eligibility regulations prevented his move because he was not born in the Republic, nor were his parents or grandparents from south of the border and he has not been resident there for a continuous five years after the age of 18. However, under article 15 he is entitled to represent the Republic because of his citizenship and the fact he had not played competitively for Northern Ireland’s senior side.

Since the IFA made the appeal in March, Kearns has made three appearances for the Sean McCaffrey’s Republic of Ireland under-19 side, scoring in his second against Switzerland. “The ruling upholds the right of individual choice on this matter for players born north of the border,” said FAI chief executive John Delaney yesterday.

The IFA said it was “disappointed” with the decision and reaffirmed its commitment to its “Football For All” programme, which it says is “is welcoming and inclusive to all members of our society in Northern Ireland”. They also wished Kearns the “best of luck in his future footballing career” and said they would comment further when CAS released the full verdict, due in a few days.

An FAI statement sought to heal any rift between the two associations, insisting: “The FAI would like to take the opportunity to highlight that it has in recent years had good relations with the IFA. Those were maintained throughout this case and will continue.”