The eligibility of players for national teams is a debate that reoccurs frequently in football circles. The Wales national team has been one of many countries that have been heavily involved in issues concerning FIFA eligibility criteria.

The recent comments from Tony Pulis on how Ryan Shawcross should switch his allegiance to Wales has once again brought the national teams eligibility criteria into the public eye in this country.

Despite already playing for England, against Sweden in 2012, the Stoke defender could still play across the border, as the fixture was only friendly and not a competitive match.

Ex Stoke and Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis states, “If England don’t think he’s good enough, Wales certainly do,”

The Potters centre back has publically confirmed that he has no interest in playing for the Welsh national team despite playing for Wales at schoolboy level.

But should there be an option for the Stoke captain to pick and choose in the first place? How strict should the eligibility rules be?

FIFA Eligibility Criteria

The official FIFA eligibility rules are lengthy but here are the points broken down simply. A player is eligible if Wales is:

His country of birth.

The country of birth of his natural mother or father.

The country of birth of his natural grandmother or grandfather.

Where the player, both natural parents, and both natural grandparents are born outside the UK, but the player is the holder of a current British passport, he may play for the country of his choice.

He spent five years of compulsory education before the age of 16.

The Debate

The eligibility of players has always been a contentious issue and not just in Wales. The switch of Diego Costa from Brazil to Spain highlighted how it is not just a problem facing the smaller nations.

Costa represented his adopted country Spain in a World Cup in Brazil, a country he had already he had gained two caps for. If Ryan Shawcross were to play for Wales the same ruling would apply.

Wales have both benefitted and suffered at the hands of the current system.

Mark Pitman, the Welsh football correspondent for UEFA.com, the administrative body for European football says, “There have already been documented cases of affluent, smaller nations with a limited pool of players actively ‘hiring’ players from other countries.”

He added, “There is a very real threat that players could soon be ‘bought’ to represent another nation, and it is a serious concern. From a Welsh perspective, two recent events highlight potential problems for the future.”

The first is Watford’s young goalkeeper Jonathan Bond. The Hornets’ stopper represented Wales at both Under 17 and 19 levels before switching his allegiance to England.

In the case of Bond, Pitman added, He isn’t the first, and won’t be the last, but it is that sort of concern for smaller nations that leads to the next example.”

This example is Liverpool youngster Harry Wilson. Mark Pitman believes, “His call-up was not based on merit, but on the fact that his brief introduction against Belgium in the World Cup qualifier prevented him from ever making the same decision as Bond.”

Harry Wilson was eligible for both Wales and England, but now the 17 year old is tied to Wales.

The football columnist believes the current system is bound to cause more problems, saying, “It is a concerning trend that is likely to be repeated more and more in the future, leaving the integrity of international football in question, and showing the impact that changes to FIFA eligibility rules can have once implemented.”

Will Pallot is a feature contributor for Cardiff City and was born in England to Welsh parents. He identifies himself as Welsh and understands the dilemma FIFA face, stating, “It’s difficult to make hard and fast rules on nationality, particularly within the home nations.”

He added, “I think the issue is the grandparent ruling as it does seem to be one step too far.”

Pallot’s mixed feelings sum up the confused feelings of many Welsh fans over foreign born players. “I’m still not completely comfortable with Ashley Williams wearing the armband, although there’s no doubting the pride and commitment he’s shown in the role. But I suppose I’m not completely impartial as I’ve been more than happy to cheer on James Chester since he realised he’s welsh!”

His solution? “Perhaps the answer is to tighten the rule to both grandparents rather than just one. That would definitely reduce the chance of a player qualifying by fluke, through one grandparent who happened to be born there.”

You’ve seen what Will thinks, now hear some more fans views on the issue. We spoke to both Wales and England supporters about the current system.

The Current Squad

Over the years Wales have had a staggering amount of representatives that have come from other nations. Over 120 players in total.

Welsh squads have featured players born in Belgium, Cyprus, England, Germany, The Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Out of the last 49 international call ups, 20 of those selected by Welsh manager Chris Coleman were born outside Welsh borders. The place of birth of these players can be seen on the map underneath. Click on the pins to see who is from where.

Memorable Moments

If the rules were tightened by FIFA what memorable Welsh footballing moments would we have been deprived of? (Warning! Not all these are memorable for positive reasons)

Is the current system the right one?

Why not tell us your opinion in the poll underneath?