FIFA looking to ease rules for switching national teams

Zurich, Aug 19 FIFA, the highest governing body of football, said on Wednesday that it is looking to allow further leniency for players to switch their nationalities.

In its agenda for its annual Congress which is scheduled to be held on September 18, FIFA plans to allow players to switch their nationality if they have played a maximum of three times for the senior squad of the first national team.

The proposal is a significant drop in strictness of the rule which currently binds players to their first national teams after making just a minute of an appearance for them at the senior level.

The rule change would come as a relief for players who are unable to get international appearances after making their debut despite being initially eligible to play for multiple countries.

The proposal also allows for players to revert to their original national teams if they never actually played for the second one that they opted for.

Additionally, it also seeks to clarify how long players must be residing in the country before they can play for their teams. Three years residency would be required if a player moved before the age of 10, and five years residency if the move was aged 10 to 18.

FIFA's existing rule already requires a five-year residency from the age of 18 if a player wants to acquire a new national eligibility.

( With inputs from IANS )