To think that footballers should only be able to play for the city they're from?

[BrownTrowsers]

I know it would never happen but it would stop football being all about money. It would stop teams like Man Utd dominating the premier league simply because they have money. It would stop the ridiculous £5m a week type wages, it would make cities invest more in young people (currently, why would Hull City bother when they know that anyone decent will bugger off to the premier league once they have the opportunity) - it wouldn't make football be about community, talent, pride and football rather than money.

I mean, how does Man Utd represent Manchester when most of their players (if not not all) are from various parts of the world?

@BrownTrowsers perfectly reasonable as long as it applies to everyone like electricians, nurses etc!

I know it’s so not the same but in Ireland in hurling and Gaelic football you play for your county and local club only. Players would never change county. Leads to fierce pride and great passions. But it is technically an amateur game.

No. Some of the world greatest players would never even have been heard of because they'd still be stuck in their tiny villages. Silly concept

God...

What about the imported players?

One coming from poverty to the premier league...

Should they have been confined their own country/city?

Has anyone told the op that Man U often has local players. And yes, Man U is technically not Manchester.

Yes, several of us!

And it is really. People from north Trafford pretty much never think they're not from Manchester. No great shock since they're within spitting distance of the city centre. People from Manchester don't tend to pay particular attention to borders between local authorities when it comes to defining themselves. Those borders only really become relevant when it comes to schools!

Isn’t basque a big region though?

Op is saying Harry Kane is only allowed to play for Small Town Utd, shame his parents didn’t realise he was going to be an exceptional footballer.

Also what you're basically doing is saying that people have no choice about their place of work. Clubs could get away with treating players like shit because its either play for us or don't play at all.

Yeah fair play, basque is more a region than a city, but its the closest i got and still quite unusual for a top flight team

Harry Kane's from London, so I guess he'd be alright. It's fine though, what the UK definitely needs is more metrocentrism and better opportunities for people living in the capital.

I am actually beginning to think our OP is on a wind up. She fails harder with every post. Surely at some point she'd say something not ludicrous if this were real?

Well, it would have left bloody Ronaldo stranded in Madeira so I am warming to the idea...

Well said Apollonia and Minges.

So, you'd be happy to limit footballers to working forever in the town they were born??

Why restrict it? Why not say doctors have to be GPs in their home town, teachers have to teach forever in their local school?

You could even put up barbed wire fencing around each town to stop people moving from one to another - after all it worked so well with the Berlin wall didn't it?

I think it's a great idea. I'd be looking forward to seeing Gareth Bale in a City shirt.

I don't care who they play for - just stop giving them ridiculous salaries for kicking a freaking ball around and give the money to people with jobs who actually do important things like firemen, surgeons, researchers, etc.

Players from the Basque region also have the option of playing for teams outside it. If you can play professionally for Atletico Bilbao, you could get onto any number of other teams in many leagues across the world. So none of them are in the position where it's local club or do something else.

What if you were born in a tiny village with not enough people for a team, but were the best footballer in the world. Could you never play the game?

Yes, yabu- you can't limit people's ability to move around like that.

Man U have a fantastic youth team set up.

Rafa Nadal should only play tennis against other people from Majorca.

charm , Only male firefighters then ?

And are you a resrecher per chance? Not many people would conclude their list of 'terribly important jobs' with that one!!

researcher...

I don't care who they play for - just stop giving them ridiculous salaries for kicking a freaking ball around and give the money to people with jobs who actually do important things like firemen, surgeons, researchers, etc.

Do you understand that the clubs, which are private businesses not state run, pay the players themselves? Now if you're advocating for higher tax rates for businesses, which would indirectly fund more firemen etc, ok. There are also some footballers, as there are all high earners, who are engaged in tax avoidance and many of us would like to see those loopholes closed.

But otherwise, you think private businesses should take money from the wages of their own staff, and instead take it on themselves to pay the salaries of public servants? Best of luck with that one. There isn't actually a link between what football clubs choose to pay their staff and nurses salaries.

Surely this must apply to all careers. If you are born in Newquay, and want to be a solicitor, you must practice in Newquay. No buggering off to London for the big money from city firms. Those roles should be the preserve of Londoners.

Some teams are not in a city e.g. Bournemouth.
It would be a bit tough if you were a brilliant footballer but were born in the countryside. You could be a world class footballer playing for a Sunday League type club.

I don’t live in a city. Can I live off benefits?