Players can now move national teams if they were eligible to represent a second country when they first played for their first, even if they had previously competed for the first. Munir El Haddadi of Sevilla is one player who might profit from the rule change. He was born in Morocco but represented Egypt at junior level. When he was 16, Morocco issued a new passport with an Egyptian flag on it, making him eligible to play for them.
In addition, if a player has not yet officially declared his international allegiance, he is free to choose which nation will be his next employer. For example, Abdelhamid Sabiri enjoyed great success in France before moving to Italy in 1998.
Sabiri's father was Iranian, his mother French. At a young age he began playing for Iran, but when he reached the age of 18 he decided to seek professional opportunities in Europe. Despite this, he continues to play for Iran under 23s and is still regarded as one of the best strikers in the Asian Cup.
The latest case study is West Ham United striker Andre Uzuriaga, who recently signed with Nagoya Grampus. The 25-year-old Zimbabwean came up through the youth system at West Ham and has been given a contract until 2013. However, he is eligible to represent Japan due to his Japanese mother.
First, a player can now switch national teams even if they have competed at the senior level, as long as they have the nationality of their new organization at the time of their first official appearance for their first national team. This allows players such as David Luiz or John Terry to represent Brazil even though they were born in Portugal and England respectively.
Second, a club can switch nations by applying for a transfer certificate from the relevant confederation. If the application is successful then the player becomes eligible to play for the new nation and the previous one drops off the list. In August 2016, Chelsea applied for Antonio Conte's transfer certificate so that he could be manager's the Italian national team instead of England. The application was successful and Conte has managed Italy since then.
So yes, you can switch nations in sports other than only playing for one at a time.
Players can move national teams under the new rules even if they had previously participated in an official competition for the first time (unless the match was in the tournament rounds of the World Cup or a continental competition), as long as the appearance happened before the player turned 21. The player must have been born on a day divisible by 7 to be eligible for selection.
In addition, players who have retired from one national team and then join another side can also do so without losing their eligibility to play for another country. The only condition is that they cannot represent both countries in the same season. If they do so anyway, they could face sanctions from their national associations. However, there has never been any suggestion that this would prevent them from playing for their country again.
What about players who have not yet represented any national team? They are known as unfulfilled talents and can apply directly with their national team coach for a place in his squad. If he picks them, they will become national players and thus able to represent their country.
The latest example of this was in December 2016 when Canada announced a new member of the coaching staff: Patrick Vieira. The former Arsenal manager had already qualified as a citizen of Canada through his father's birth country of France. At the age of 38, he is now able to call himself a dual citizen and can choose which nation he wants to represent.
If a player desires to switch national teams, he or she must follow Article 8 of the Regulations. The only players who can move national teams are those who have more than one nationality, have gained a new nationality, or are entitled to represent more than one organization owing to their nationality. Some people inherit genetic problems from their parents, whereas other genetic diseases are caused by acquired alterations or mutations in a preexisting gene or combination of genes. Examples of genetic disorders include cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, respiratory diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis, endocrine disorders such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism, immunodeficiencies such as AIDS and leukemia, and syndromes such as Down syndrome and Angelman syndrome.
The FIFA Status Committee is responsible for deciding whether a player meets the criteria required to obtain a FIFA passport. If so, what documents need to be provided and where can they be found? What is the process for obtaining a new passport?
A player can apply for a new passport if any of the following situations applies: when changing countries (or territories), when moving within the same country or territory, when turning 16 years old, when becoming a citizen of another country or acquiring another nationality.
The player should send his or her application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the relevant country. The process can take several months depending on the circumstances. A valid document showing that the player has acquired a new nationality (for example, an Italian passport) is necessary to start new international career opportunities.
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