FIFA changes the rules

Across the world, more and more people are eligible at birth for the citizenships of more than one country. It used to be if a player featured at any level for a national team of one of the countries he was eligible for, he was locked into playing for that country at the international level forever. Well, not forever, but you get the drift.

The rule was changed, to allow players eligible for more than one citizenship at the time they first donned a junior international jersey to switch, but only once, only if they had never featured for the full senior national team, and only before their 21st birthday. You could play for the Under-17s or Under-21s and still be eligible to switch, provided you did so before your 21st birthday. After you hit 21, you could not change your international allegiance.

This week comes news that FIFA has changed the rule again, taking off the age-limit. Now, provided you have not played for the full senior team, and were eligible for the alternate choice from the start, you can switch your allegiance (only once) at any age (I have seen one source that said the new limit is your 28th birthday, but most sources say there is no limit.

I want Nigeria to develop a programme for developing players in Nigeria. I also want us to start thinking of making our domestic league financially competitive with the biggest leagues in the world (admittedly this is impossible without our broader economy, GDP and GDP/per capita, growing to rival the biggest in size, but then rapid economic growth is a national priority in and of itself).

I am a traditionalist. I believe a Nigerian is a Nigerian regardless of where he is born, and I want the children born in the Diaspora to grow up proud of their Nigerian heritage and identity; and whatever other citizenship documents they may hold, I want them to seek the Nigerian passport as well.

In this vein, I would like our embassies to have an official (no more than one) who's job is to keep in touch with potential sporting stars among the young Diaspora. I don't mean waiting until they are stars, and then trying to claim somebody when we contributed nothing to their development. No, I mean being there from the start. The embassies should look after our citizens, and the parents of every Nigerian child outside our borders (even those who will not become sportsmen) should feel the protective umbrella of the nearest embassy. Indeed, the embassy should be at the heart of the socio-cultural life of our citizen communities abroad.

But specific to sports, we need to have the best Nigerian athletes, born anywhere, proudly representing the federal republic at the highest level. I want us to run successful sports programmes that any athlete would want to be a part of. I want to see sporting teams of Nigerians of various ethnic, regional, religious and "birth place" backgrounds working together as a unit to achieve sportiing success.

Is this not what Nigeria is? A union of differing peoples, united for common advancement and achievement?

We have not really done any of this.

Still, there are young sportsmen and sportswomen of the Diaspora, who could be very important to Nigeria as we seek to climb to the zenith of world sports. As many of them as can be persuaded to don our colours, should be welcomed "home".

The FIFA rule change opens the doors for us to talk to, perhaps even persuade a handful of footballers who have only recently crossed the old age-limit threshold. We do not have to try too hard. If they say no, we can let it go.

But let us at least try, if for no other reason than to convey to them (and to the broader Diaspora) that we recognize them as our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.

That we do not think of them as "foreigners".