AIBU to wonder why the UK gets 4 teams in the World Cup, whereas France only gets one.

[TheKittenswithMittens]

Why don't we play as UK in the World Cup? Why do we get 4 teams when everyone else gets just the one? It would bring an end to anyone but England sentiment.

It’s normal because people from NI are eligible to hold British or Irish citizenship or both.

It occasionally has, but it was 90% English players.

Interesting that NI athletes can compete for either Team GB or Ireland.

I believe the Good Friday Agreement gave all NI people dual citizenship. It's not really any different to anyone with a dual/multi heritage choosing which nation to compete in. I guess a lot of athletes who know they won't get a chance to compete internationally for a highly competitive team/nation like GB might opt to represent a different country if they have the credentials, just to have the chance to go to the Olympics/Worlds.

Me too. I was the poster who the OP called a Nobody. I will wear that with pride.

It makes perfect sense. But I'd just never thought about it or released it.

I'd also take a guess, money might play a part, if one sorting body is more likely to fund or support an athlete it might influence their decision.

Yes, I agree except that some would contest the statement that NI is not part of the country Ireland. They do not just object to the name, and do avoid it by using other formulations, but contest the legitimacy of the entity Northern Ireland and regard the whole of the island as a country, Ireland and themselves as belonging to and being of it, even if officialdom decrees otherwise.

True. I can think of a couple of athletes who had their lottery funding pulled, who switched to a different country and went on to be reasonably successful. And also at least one older, highly successful athlete who started competing for a team from the Middle East, once her own countries decided she was past it.

Yes, that’s what I meant when I said they don’t agree with the names really. It wasn’t just they don’t like the ring of ‘Northern Ireland’ 😅
NI isn’t actually part of the country of Ireland though, whatever people would prefer the situation to be, and the Irish government has given up its constitutional claim to NI now.

You’re right in that I could have made that clearer. I now think pp was being political rather than confused though, so she probably knows all this already.

He called me a nobody too. We should start a club.

Surely it’s obvious where it stems from? England are historically colonisers, hence they’re not a popular team for other countries to cheer on in sports. It’s not complicated.

I doubt it, you would have to be a moron to argue that NI and ROI are the same country. Even the most hardline republican isn’t going to argue they’re currently the same country, they have different governments, ROI has a constitution that doesn’t apply to NO, different currencies.
They are both on the island of Ireland, but they are not the same country even though they once were.

Is it interesting or a given considering the rights of people from NI?
People in NI are both Irish and British.

So- Rory McIlroy. Northern Irish but plays golf for Ireland. Lots of people consider Ireland is Ireland but, for football purposes, it has separate FAs.

If they choose to be.

Or a team. Then we could enter non-existent cycling competitions!

I wish none of them played in it. Am living in self imposed media black-out as I can’t stand the wretched thing.

And why is it even in America? Do they even play football? They have that men’s netball thing, rounders on steroids and that weird game requiring bulbous shoulder pads.

Lots of people consider Ireland is Ireland

Probably why Brexit was such a mess for NI.

You know they do, and you know the names of these sports popular in the US. Why are you putting on a deliberately obtuse affectation?

But they’re not 😂 they’re actually not 😂
This thread is off it’s tits with some of the stuff being said 😂

Originally NI was Ireland till your lot swooped in, stole 6 counties and called it yours then renamed it Northern Ireland. It is a country in it's own right on the island of Ireland.

We agree, I think, if you put in the word 'officially' before the statement. Although the government of Ireland changed the constitution for the sake of a settlement, some people also do not accept that and do not accept the current status and official definition of what the country of Ireland is. It is real to them that Ireland is one, undivided, and that they are Irish.

On the back of this thread I am hereby now referring to England as Southern Scotland.

As you would expect as 84% of the UK population is English.

There was a time when the other Home Nations punched well above their weight. In fact, English football used to be dominated by world class Scots in particular.