A lot has been said on Declan Rice’s decision to commit his international future to England, but the Daily Star’s Jeremy Cross has penned his column around it and claimed that the midfielder has “made a mockery of international football” by rejecting the Republic of Ireland.
Cross mostly vents his frustration at how FIFA allows players to pick and choose who they represent when they hold dual citizenship but uses Rice as an example of someone flaunting the rules as the 20-year-old earned three senior friendly caps with the Boys in Green before opting for the Three Lions.
The decision created a severe uproar with those who feel he should have stuck with his Grandparents’ native country after choosing them first and playing through their youth ranks, but even Cross accepts that Rice was within his rights to favour England at a senior level.
Cross wrote: “The lad has been in international football two minutes, but has wasted no time in disrespecting the highest honour in the game.
“The West Ham midfielder is within his rights to choose which country he wants to represent and has got there in the end. But three friendlies was all it took – along with some flirting from Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate – for Rice to decide Ireland wasn’t for him after all.”
He later added: “Money talks the loudest in football. Individual sponsors will be knocking on his door already.
“Rice has exploited the glaring flaw that exists in the rules regarding international qualification, albeit rules which are wrong and do no favours to people like Rice.
“But the whole thing stinks. It’s made a mockery of international football once again and is nothing short of laughable.”
It is not hard to see where Cross is coming from with the decision being laughable, but a question does come from his column; Should FIFA look to remove the loophole that allows players to change their registration even if they have represented a country in a senior friendly?
