QF3: Morocco vs Portugal, 3PM GMT, Al Thumana Stadium

[noikeee]

8 minutes ago, GunmaN1905 said:

That's exactly the problem.

Ghana also started recruiting players from Europe who can't make the NTs they wanted to play for.

Nothing wrong with getting a player or two, Croatia also has them, but if your entire NT philosophy is based on getting scraps from Europe, long-term it's going to be bad.

This is Morocco's golden generation, but a generation they recruited from Europe. When all of your best players are products of Spanish, Netherlands and French football youth system, I'm not sure it can be called Africa's success, unfortunately.

And this result will only make more teams go all in on recruitment from Europe.

This is a problem without solution, unless there's massive social-economic progress in the continent (which by the way IS progressing, but still has a long way to go), so that their economies and by attachment their footballing leagues and facilities, become attractive and competitive.

I'm just amazed that you managed to find such a ridiculously negative, sour angle to this.

[GunmaN1905]

2 minutes ago, noikeee said:

I'm just amazed that you managed to find such a ridiculously negative, sour angle to this.

How is it a negative angle? I've supported Morocco in every game they played, except for the first one against Croatia. I'd like them to make the final.

But that's just the truth, might be sour, but that's how it is. In footballing sense, that team has absolutely nothing to do with Africa.

[enigmatic]

African teams have been recruiting from Europe for years for good reason: they have massive diasporas there, and people based there get great coaching and become very good footballers. Plus the top players almost always end up there anyway, even coming from countries with leagues and youth development as strong as Brazil and Argentina,

Don't see how restricting their selection and losing more games would change that. The reason there's no money in domestic football isn't because the national team players are based in Europe (if anything, it's the opposite: a few footballers who've had very elite careers in Europe have decided academies in their [ancestral] homeland are things they want to spend money on)

Plus the African Championship of Nations is a thing which probably even Wenger's scheduling can't kill, so their domestically produced players have way more opportunity for international recognition than most nations.

Edited December 11, 2022 by enigmatic

[GunmaN1905]

3 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

Don't see how restricting their selection and losing more games would change that.

I didn't say the selection should be restricted, my point was just that unfortunately this isn't a sign of African football improving, but one country having a golden generation of imports, with no valid arguments for long-term success.

Edited December 11, 2022 by GunmaN1905

[Heartwork]

23 minutes ago, noikeee said:

This is a problem without solution, unless there's massive social-economic progress in the continent (which by the way IS progressing, but still has a long way to go), so that their economies and by attachment their footballing leagues and facilities, become attractive and competitive.

I'm just amazed that you managed to find such a ridiculously negative, sour angle to this.

That's why the African Nations Championship exists, so players in the domestic league can represent their national team and possibly make an impression for a full callup.

Morocco are the reigning champions there too.

Edited December 11, 2022 by Heartwork

[Makoto Nakamura]

5 minutes ago, Heartwork said:

That's why the African Nations Championship exists, so players in the domestic league can represent their national team and possibly make an impression for a full callup.

Morocco are the reigning champions there too.

Back-to-back champions, even better. 

[noikeee]

Whether it's imported footballers or not, whether it's sustainable or not, I see an improved standard across *all* African teams, they are more competitive, better organised than in the past, and I'd argue more than any other confederation are starting to deserve more places in the World Cup, as a few of the teams that don't make it are pretty strong. There's this lot of 10 teams or so at the forefront of African football that are all pretty even with one another, and the qualification format is a bit ridiculous with everyone having to clear a two legged playoff.

Not that I want a 48 team World Cup just to make it happen because I don't. But I think a 6th African side would be stronger than the next Concacaf side or the next Asian side.

[Heartwork]

AFCON is great as it's so much harder to predict. The better teams might fumble while the small teams can shock everyone, like Gambia in 2021.

[craigcwwe]

Imo you should only be eligible to play for the country of your birth. Not be able to play for another team based off your ancestry. 

That might be a topic for another thread though. 

[Wolf_pd]

6 minutes ago, craigcwwe said:

Imo you should only be eligible to play for the country of your birth. Not be able to play for another team based off your ancestry. 

That might be a topic for another thread though. 

What if you have the nationality of the other nation at birth?

Edit: To clarify, if you have a Turkish or Moroccan parent, it doesn't matter where you are born, you are automatically Turk or Moroccan. 

[Confused Clarity]

32 minutes ago, craigcwwe said:

Imo you should only be eligible to play for the country of your birth. Not be able to play for another team based off your ancestry. 

That might be a topic for another thread though. 

There are any number of things that play into what makes up an individual's nationality that this is a ridiculous suggestion.

It'd mean Sterling couldn't play for England for a start.

[Wolf_pd]

For reference, we actually had a thread on the subject.

https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/569985-137-players-born-in-another-country-than-their-nt/

1 hour ago, Confused Clarity said:

There are any number of things that play into what makes up an individual's nationality that this is a ridiculous suggestion.

And what about people who are born abroad, because mom or dad played sports in another country (say Thuram or Reyna).