Arteta on England's radar (again)

With (apparently) England coach Fabio Capello courting the services of Everton's Spanish born and bred (but uncapped) midfield player Mikel Arteta, the issue of nationality and citizenship in sport is once more in the news. The FA in particular have been very coy about not making a decision one or the other over whether Arteta may have a future as an England international, and they are practically giving Capello yet another way to hang himself. There is no doubt that a player of Arteta's quality would add something to squad in the middle of the park - he would give much needed composure to England's midfield, he was the most fouled player in the Premier League last season (suggesting he is a skillful individual) and he is an excellent passer of the ball, especially from deep in the mould of Xabi Alonso. Which is a crucial point - the chances of him making an impression on the Spanish international set-up at the age of 28 are slim, especially with the likes of Alonso, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas ahead of him in the pecking order.
He has played in Britain for eight years after moving to Rangers from Barcelona (apart from a six month hiatus at Real Sociedad) and qualified to claim British citizenship through residency in January having played for Everton for five years. The FA haven't been forthcoming in making a decision, because it is a Catch22 situation. He would definitely improve the squad in the short-term, but it is likely to be an unpopular decision with the fans and players alike, especially if Arteta's inclusion comes at the expense of a promising young English player, such as Jack Wilshere. Arteta has not ruled out playing for England - he said this week, 'I've said it before and I'll say it again, no one has contacted me. But if they do, it's something I'll consider very seriously.' So Arteta, along with the FA, is leaving the decision squarely on Capello's shoulders - but it needs to be resolved sooner rather than later, one way or the other.
This is an issue which has been far more prescient in cricket and rugby over the years, as all the home nations have been quick to use the tenuous citizenship rules and 'grandmother' law to recruit talented South African and Antipodean players to their national set-ups. But there seems to be little complaint from the fans and other players if this approach noticeably improves the team. Maybe that's because it's easier to identify with people from these countries - they all speak English as a first language, and are all former British colonies. It may not be so easy to integrate a Spaniard into the dressing room.
Look at the current England cricket team - captain Andrew Strauss was born in Johannesburg, as were Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter, Eoin Morgan is Irish, Kevin Pietersen was born in Natal, Owais Shah in Pakistan and Jonathon Trott in Cape Town. But this has no effect on the team - the players improve the quality than if 'just' English born players were able to be included, and doesn't impinge at all on team spirit as all of these perceived foreigners have been around the county scene for quite some time, and are familiar faces to the other players.
The same can be said about the home nations rugby teams as well. England have Kiwis Riki Flutey and Shontayne Hape in the centre, and Hape's compatriots and fellow rugby league converts Lesley Vainikolo and Henry Paul were both capped by England. Maybe attitudes are different in these sports, or cricket and rugby have been so used to this being the case as it has been happening for so long.
Arteta's lack of English heritage would make him an easy target if things weren't going well - a ready made scapegoat, in much the way Jamaican born John Barnes was, shockingly and racially, for both Liverpool and England fans. But while this is a depressing factor of the modern game, I do think it is important .to have a sense of national identity when playing for your national team. Arteta (and his compatriot Manuel Almunia, the Arsenal goalkeeper who doesn't have a hope in hell of playing for the Spanish national team) wouldn't even be thinking about England if they could get near the Spanish set-up. So England would be the booby prize then.
This could all be academic anyway - Scottish manager Craig Levein is unsure whether Arteta would qualify to play for England, due to an eligibility agreement signed by the home nations last year. 'The way I see it, the Home Nations have an agreement. You have to have a family bloodline or completed five years education in the country in question before qualifying.' Arteta doesn't come close to meeting either of these directives, and, according to Levein, 'it is more than a gentleman's agreement.' Capello and England could always challenge this, but this would surely just open up a whole new can of worms. What would that be saying about the quality (or lack of it) of young English players coming through the system, if England are fighting so hard to ensure someone can play for England who is not actually English, and just lives in the country (only because he plays for an English football club.) He's hardly going to be able to identify with what it means to quintessentially British.
In fairness, they rules are not as lax as they once were. Half a century ago, great players like Ferenc Puskas (Hungary and Spain) and Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina and Spain) played full international football for two different countries. And Levein knows how hypocritical it would be to criticise a country for using residency and citizenship rules to summon the best players available to play for that national team - he played with many players during his international career who were essentially English, and qualified through the 'grandmother' rule and just this week he has called up Blackpool keeper Matt Gilks for the first time, who has one Scottish grandmother. Both Irish nations and Wales have been quick to scour birth certificates and records. London hard man and current Hollywood star Vinny Jones even captained Wales, and former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino won 88 caps for the country, and scored 19 goals. Only it turned out he wasn't Irish. He found out early in his international career that his mother was adopted, so he was not a blood relative of his grandfather, who he had thought qualified him to play for Ireland. But he kept this quiet until long after he retired and released his autobiography. As Cascarino said, 'I was a fraud, a fake Irishman.' About as Irish as Arteta is English then!
Let's give the last word to Levein: 'from my point of view, it isn't my job to decide who's Scottish. It's my job to win football matches.' Maybe Capello should follow that mantra and cross the bridge if (or when) he comes to it.