Eddie Nketiah earns his first England call-up; find out why he is still eligible for Ghana.
Ghana’s hopes of drafting Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah to represent the national team, the Black Stars, have been dashed after he received his first call-up from England.
England manager Gareth Southgate summoned the young striker following a promising start to the season for Arsenal, which included two goals in three games. Eddie Nketiah earns his first England call-up; find out why he is still eligible for Ghana.
Nketiah’s inclusion in the squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers against Ukraine and the friendly against Scotland in September demonstrates his growing international status.
Despite his participation with England’s youth teams, Nketiah, 24, remained eligible to play for Ghana. However, his current choice places England squarely in charge of his international destiny.
In June of last year, Nketiah revealed talks with Ghana about a possible nationality swap, indicating his willingness to work with both England and Ghana.
With Ghanaian ancestors, he expressed his feelings, saying, “Being from Ghana, you would be happy that they qualified for the World Cup.”
The recently amended FIFA laws governing changing national teams complicate his international career even further.
Three new exclusions now allow a player to change their international allegiance provided certain circumstances are met, including;
- If the player was a member of their new association’s national team at the time of their first official appearance for their first national team.
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the player has not competed in an official tournament’s final stage, such as the World Cup, European Championship, AFCON, Copa America, and so on.
- The player has made at least three senior appearances for their former national team in the last three years.
These new restrictions offer a dynamic environment for foreign player selection, allowing for strategic moves based on eligibility and circumstances. While Nketiah’s debut call-up for England affirms his existing loyalty, the intricate interplay of eligibility regulations shows that prospects for a change in allegiance may persist if circumstances change.
