Januzaj should be allowed to be Belgian or Albanian - not wrapped in the England flag and kidnapped by the FA child snatchers.

If you adopt a kid for all the right reasons and he one day puts a trophy on the family sideboard, that’s wonderful and you have every right to be proud – but if you adopt purely because you hear he’s good and you fancy something shiny in the front room, you are a desperate individual, indeed. That’s why the sight of Mo Farah running in a British vest is uplifting and Tiffany Porter doing the same is embarrassing. No one was clambering to make Adnan Januzaj English before we knew he was good, so why now? We’re not that sad and desperate, are we? Bill, Barnsley.
Yes, Bill, I’m afraid we are. Your point about Mo Farah is spot on. This country welcomed him before anyone knew what he would be; Porter was embraced for purely avaricious reasons on both sides – it suited her, because she wasn’t going to make the American team, it suited us because she was better than what we had. Some excuse this as all part of Britain’s great cultural melting pot. It isn’t. Farah’s story represents the kindness and achievement in modern British society; Porter’s story is naked ambition and greed.

Man in the middle: Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj is at the centre of the latest debate

The fact that he would play for Albania rather than Belgium says something about him: he’s not a glory hunter. Jm7911, America.
Well, he hasn’t declared for either yet. Why haven’t Albania picked him – that is what I don’t understand. Although it’s fair to say some are getting their hopes up.

 

Albania may be fifth in their group but they are only two wins away from the play-offs, which means they are in a similar position to England. However, Albania are on the rise so by the 2022 World Cup they will probably have more chance of winning it. So why on earth would Januzaj wait five years to play for an average overrated team like England? Get real. Sedi, Manchester.
Look I know I shouldn’t rise to this one, but I just can’t help it. Look mate, England are two wins away from qualifying outright, and may need only a win and a draw, depending on other results, but for Albania to reach the play-offs, they have to beat a Swiss team that has not conceded a goal away from home all campaign, defeat Cyprus, and hope Iceland, who must also play Cyprus, do not pick up four points from two games. Back-to-back wins for Slovenia and Norway would also render Albania powerless. So to say they are in a similar position to England is simple nonsense. As for winning the 2022 World Cup, how about reaching one first? I’m no England cheerleader and if Januzaj wishes to play for Albania, good luck to him - but, come on, we don’t have to take this.

Screamer: Januzaj scored both Manchester United goals in the win over Sunderland last weekend

Why would Januzaj even want to play for England? Come on, if I could choose between Belgium or England, I would choose Belgium. Dilbert, Milton Keynes.
Yes, but that is the point of international sport. In many cases it is not a matter of choice. One of the biggest myths is that Ryan Giggs chose to play for Wales. He didn’t. He couldn’t have played for any other country. The only way Januzaj can choose England is if he doesn’t play international football until 2018 and the Football Association renege on an agreement with the other Home Nations. How does that benefit him, or reflect well on English football? Oh, and by the way – I’m going to choose Belgium right now. 
After all of Greg Dyke's criticisms, English youngsters soon won't be able to get a game for England, let alone the Premier League clubs. Brad, London.

Good point, Brad. Did you see him grappling with that little inconsistency in interviews yesterday? As I pointed out on speech day, Dyke will do and say whatever suits him at the time. So foreign managers were fine when it benefited him at Brentford, foreign players great when he was a director at Manchester United, and now he’s chairman of the Football Association, he’s come over all John Bull. And then up pops Januzaj and suddenly it’s not about giving English players a chance any more. It’s about pretending that Belgians are English, because that is what is pragmatic. There is no grand plan, just a set of principles tried on and discarded once inconvenient, as always.

 

Not born in England, so not English, therefore sadly cannot play for England. It really is not that hard to get your brain around. Sue Mow, High Green.

Well I’m not as much of a stickler as that, Sue. I think rules of nationality governing parents, even grandparents, and rules governing education – such as the qualification by five years of schooling – are permissible. Even residency rules are not entirely alien, if each case it taken on merit so a country does not become a flag of convenience. It is when we talk of trying to entice a player away from another country that I desert the cause. Why should we be attempting to influence a teenager against the country of his birth, or the country of his ancestors? It does not seem ethical. So not exactly England for the English – but not England for the Albanians just because we’re bigger, richer and more powerful.

England for the English? Jack Wilshere had plenty to say on the subject ahead of the Montenegro clash

Inconsistent: Football Association chairman Greg Dyke will do and say what suits him at the time

Don't become all moral about Januzaj as other countries do this. I think Vinnie Jones played for Wales because he had a corgi. A Child of Churchill, Catalunya.
Do you mean Churchill the wartime Prime Minister, or Churchill the nodding dog that sells insurance? This would certainly explain your expert canine knowledge.

 

The English are such hypocrites – they want no immigrants in the country yet when it is of benefit to them they completely ignore that part of their mentality and act like everyone is welcomed. I don’t expect any better from a nation that colonised so many countries, stole their resources and left them in poverty. Brutos, London.

And yet, Brutos, here you are in London. So you will know what a mesmerising breed of races and nationalities this city – and a great many others in Britain – has. And for the best part, we rub along. The odd racist nutjob on the train, or a word said during a football match, is rare enough to make the national news or dominate the agenda for days. We can’t help our colonial past but, considering the complex society that modern Britain has become, the levels of tolerance are largely outstanding. Do not think that the Januzaj issue is about xenophobia or racism; it’s about cheating in sport and the very British notion of fair play. Many of us feel it is wrong to entice a player of another nationality for our own ends. We do not think that is fair. We believe the English game should be better than that. This does not make us intolerant of foreigners; quite the opposite, in fact. Januzaj should be allowed to be Belgian or Albanian – not wrapped in the cross of St George and as good as kidnapped.

 

A few weeks back they all wanted Willian turfed out as that was all that was wrong with football. Prize to the first one to tell me this is different, as this fellow is from the European Union. Lornao, London.
I think the issues are different, Lornao, although nationality and employment law is becoming increasingly complex.

Flying high: Belgium fans waved their team off to Croatia where a draw will book their place at next year's World Cup in Brazil - but Januzaj has still not decided who he will play for on the international stage

England have their own bright youngsters coming up in Adam Lallana, Ravel Morrison, Will Keane, Danny Rose, Tom Carroll and Ross Barkley. Play them, don't overrate their abilities and we can become a force again. Breden Williams, Manchester.
I agree. Yet even if we didn’t have talent coming through it still wouldn’t be right to play fast and loose with matters of national qualification.

 

When I watch Kevin Pietersen making a big innings in the Ashes, I don't tend to dwell on the fact that he's South African. If he is better than what we currently have, why not? Iandel, Dublin.
Because international sport is meant to be above such naked opportunism. Pietersen does, however, have English parentage. He is a very different case to Januzaj.

 

A better comparison is Jonathan Trott. He has no connection to England at all, but qualified via residency as adult. As much as he has been brilliant for us, I don't think he should be.
Antd, London.
Trott has English grandparents, though. In football terms, he would qualify as an Englishman.

 

Remember Zola Budd, the South African runner given a British passport in record time? Longbranch262, Derby.
Do I, LB. Every time I write about nationality issues, Zola Budd gets thrown at me as if I was responsible for this newspaper’s intervention in her case in 1984.

He's coming to get you: The child snatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang could get a job with the FA

If Januzaj scored the goal that won England a major tournament, every supporter would be cheering from the roof tops and wouldn't care where he was born. Any England fan that says different is a liar. Alex, Mansfield.
And that proves what, Alex? That fans are as pragmatic, opportunistic and self-serving as the Football Association. Hardly an argument clincher is it?

 

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose of Germany were born in Poland. Jay, Birmingham.

Yes, but Podolski’s family emigrated to Germany when he was two, and he was brought up in Bergheim and Pulheim, therefore fulfilling the five years education criteria that previously seemed so important to the FA. Klose came to live with his father in Germany at the age of eight, so the same applies. 

 

Spain are currently attempting to do the exact same thing with Atletico Madrid's Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa. Does that make them ‘cynical chancers’, too, I wonder? Ignatius Reilly, New Orleans.

Indeed it does. Costa has already played at least two full internationals for Brazil, against Italy and Russia, in non-competitive fixtures, which actually makes it worse. FIFA have granted permission for the switch and I read Guillem Balague saying it is great news for Spain. Me, I think stuff like this devalues international football and all involved should be ashamed. ‘Cynical chancers’ isn’t the half of it – I find the idea that it is OK for us because it is OK for them demeaning, too. We should rise above it.

You've got to be joking: 'Spain's former Brazilian star Diego Costa' just doesn't sound right

Seeing as Januzaj is playing in an English league and his wages are largely paid for by English fans, whether it's through the turnstile or via satellite subscriptions, what's so wrong with claiming him as one of our own? David, Solihull.
Because international football is not a battle between representative league teams, David. When the Premier League can take on La Liga in the World Cup final, that is the day we can claim club players as our own. So what if Januzaj leaves Manchester United for Juventus – does he then become Italian?

 

I'm sure the Germans weren't too fussed when Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira helped them become a great team. Zinedine Zidane anyone? Hawkeye, Cheshire.
That would be Mesut Ozil born in Gelsenkirchen, Sami Khedira born in Stuttgart and Zinedine Zidane born in Marseille, yes? Well spotted, Hawkeye. I can see where you got that nickname.

 

Why would anyone choose England over Belgium? With the young squad they have they could challenge for the World Cup in 2014. Toby Dawson1, Guildford.
And they’ve probably got record shops where you can pick this one up for tuppence. 'There’s this track,' I said to Clive in Flying. 'It sounds like an airplane is taking off in the club. But madder than that.'
It's down to Januzaj, if he decides that he wants to wait and play for England, that is his decision. The current Spain side started their period of domination by playing Marcos Senna, a Brazilian. You miss the critical element – it’s about an 18-year-old lad and should be down to him. Matt, Manchester.
An 18-year-old lad that has not once, to my knowledge, expressed a public desire to play for England. Senna was approaching 30 when he made his debut for Spain. Still doesn’t make it right, but we can at least presume he knew his own mind without the child snatchers coming to call.

Hard to forget: Zola Budd and her bare feet running for Great Britain after coming from South Africa

A host of other nations have played, or do play, those who qualify through residency. This is just another sign of the backwardness of English football. If we can get him, we should get him.
Take It As Red, Oldham.
It is not backwards to think the national team has meaning beyond winning by any means necessary. It might even be progress.

 

Lionel Messi has been in Spain since he was 11. He could play for Spain without any comeback. Let's face it, Argentina gave him no support when he was struggling with medical issues as a kid.
Sgtpluck, Almería.
I think a wealthy football club gave him the support, more than the Spanish government, Sarge.

 

This is political. It's about internationalising the national side. Since when is an Ivorian like Wilfried Zaha or the Burundian asylum-seeker Saido Berahino English? Why object to selecting one lot of foreigners and not another? Is it because this youngster is European and therefore an easier target? That makes you just as cynical, as hypocritical, and as PC as anyone doesn't it?
Steadfast, Winchester.

Zaha was here from age four, Berahino from age 10. Getting back to the brilliant point made earlier by Bill from Barnsley, this country welcomed them before we knew they were good at sport. The Januzaj case is entirely different in its opportunism. And the idea that he is an easier target being a white European is real chip on the shoulder rubbish.

Great expectations: Wilfried Zaha, training with the England Under 21s, has lived in the UK since he was four

Two goals for Manchester United against the bottom team and England are all over Januzaj.
Peter, London.
Yes, I do think we are getting a little overexcited. I suppose it is not so much the player, though, but what his status represents.

 

It would be typical of England to be the first to break the Home Nations agreement.
IHendy, Scotland.
Indeed it would. It’s what happens when you’re out of ideas.

 

People change nationality with every other sport – rugby, cricket, tennis – so why not footy? Other sports don’t care so I reckon footy shouldn’t either. Transposer, Cardiff.

Footy? What the f*** is footy?

 

Some think we should hire a foreign manager and try to get the best team possible out on the field, whether English or not. I share Martin's view: it should be the best we've got against the best they've got. Would people in this country really feel a sense of pride if 11 players in the same boat as Januzaj, managed by, say, Pep Guardiola won the World Cup for England in 2018? Would those players be as revered as Gordon Banks, Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton?
Fergus Sira-Lexon, England.

I think there are too many people out there who will just accept any success, no matter its spirit, Ferg. They hide behind the idea of a global melting pot, when it is really plain old opportunism.

Different ball game: Kevin Pietersen, born in South Africa, has played for England's Test side since 2005

One of my sons was born in the United Kingdom, one in Switzerland. Both have Polish and British passports, both are naturalised Swiss and should they be good enough to play a sport at international level they will play for the country they choose with my blessing. Despite me being a proud Englishman. BritPolSuisse, Graubunden.

Big deal. So they qualify for England and Poland through parentage and Switzerland through naturalisation and, one presumes, schooling. None of this applies to Januzaj and his relationship with England, unless he postpones his international career until 2018, when he will already be 23. Michael Owen had 53 caps by the time he turned 24; Wayne Rooney had 56. One hopes Januzaj is getting better advice from his dad than to let his international career pass by while he stands on the sidelines. He could even make it to Brazil with Belgium if he commits this season.