Evan Ferguson is Ireland's brightest young talent, but fans of the Boys in Green have been stressing recently about the potential for the 18-year-old to switch allegiances to England.
There is obviously precedent for these things happening in the past, but the situation with Ferguson needs some factual examination. We've gone through the relevant facts to answer the key question: can Evan Ferguson really switch nationality and declare for England?
Why was Evan Ferguson eligible to play for England?
Evan Ferguson was eligible to play for England as his mother Sarah was born there. He was also eligible to play for Ireland as he was born in Ireland, and raised in the country by Sarah and his Irish father Barry - who played professional football himself and now works as a development officer for the FAI.
READ HERE: Evan Ferguson Showed Why He Is So Special During Interview After First Hat-Trick
Since this information became widespread knowledge, English media outlets have continued to speculate on Ferguson's behalf as to whether he might switch allegiance.
Evan Ferguson has been ruled out of the Republic of Ireland squad due to injury 🤕🇮🇪
According to reports, he's still eligible to switch to England due to playing only three competitive games for Ireland, under FIFA's new eligibility laws 👀🏴
Surely not another player will… pic.twitter.com/xP8z7GFLYh— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 5, 2023
Can Evan Ferguson still change and declare for England?
Though Evan Ferguson made his senior debut for Ireland last November and has played six times in total for Stephen Kenny's side, rumours continue to swirl among the Irish fanbase as to whether the Brighton striker could choose to switch allegiance to England.
17 November 2022; Evan Ferguson of Republic of Ireland prepares to come on as a substitute, as fourth official Neil Doyle holds the board, during the International Friendly match between Republic of Ireland and Norway at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
That is because of a change in FIFA's rules on international eligibility in recent years. Players are now allowed to switch their footballing nationality even if they have played for their country, once certain conditions are met. Those conditions allow a player to switch if he:
- was fielded in a match in an official competition at "A" international level in any kind of football for his current association
- at the time of being fielded for his first match in an official competition (at any level) in any kind of football for his current association, he held the nationality of the association which he wishes to represent
- at the time of being fielded for his last match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association, he had not turned 21 years old
- was fielded in no more than three matches at "A" international level in any kind of football for his current association, whether in an official competition or non-official competition
- at least three years have passed since being fielded for his last match at "A" international level in any kind of football for his current association, whether in an official competition or non-official competition, and
- has never participated in any kind of football at "A" international level in the final tournament of the FIFA World Cup or a final tournament of a confederation competition
(The full 46-page document on the regulations can be read here - h/t to Dan McDonnell of the Independent for his initial reporting on this)
Is Evan Ferguson eligible for England?
The first three of those conditions had England fans and media organisations hoping against hope that Evan Ferguson might declare for the Three Lions, but it is the fourth that is most crucial.
The condition as to how many games the player can have played for their initial "association" has been widely misunderstood to refer to more than three competitive games - which Ferguson has yet to reach for Ireland. However, this is a misunderstanding.
In reality, as can be seen from the clear wording in FIFA's document, this factor does not stipulate between friendly and competitive games. Taking into account the fact that he has played six games for Ireland, the answer is clear: Evan Ferguson can no longer play for England.
This was confirmed to Balls.ie when we reached out to the FAI for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
READ HERE: Ranking The 5 Most Important Ireland Players In Stephen Kenny's Squad
Ferguson Comments on whether he wants to play for England
Throughout this period of speculation, a key question that has often been forgotten in discussing Evan Ferguson's potential eligibility for England has been this - does he even want to switch?
We've seen players do this before, of course (don't mention the war), but was there any indication that Evan Ferguson even wanted to play for England?
He made his feelings abundantly clear earlier this year in an interview with Sky Sports, in which he said:
Obviously, my Mam's English, so that's where it probably comes in. I've seen a few saying 'Oh, will he? Will he?' I can tell you now, it's a no.
I wouldn't be allowed back!
The fact that the speculation continued due to confusion over the eligibility rules was one thing - but that it continued even after Evan Ferguson's unequivocal denial of any intent to play for England was deeply strange behaviour.
READ HERE: Here's The Ireland Team We Would Select To Pull Off A Shock in France
Evan Ferguson's Ireland record
Evan Ferguson has now played six times for Ireland, scoring two goals. He scored his first goal for his country on his first start back in March, when he netted Ireland's second in a friendly against Latvia in Dublin.
He scored his first competitive goal earlier this summer, when he scored in a 3-0 win against Gibraltar in June's EURO 2024 qualifier.
Ferguson has been ruled out of this weekend's qualifiers against France and the Netherlands due to a knee injury picked up during Saturday's game against Newcastle United, which saw Ferguson score his first Premier League hat-trick at the age of just 18 years old.
Evan Ferguson is a true star for the future - and he's Irish through and through. He was born and raised in Ireland, played underage football for the country, and the only mention of him ever playing for England was through English media suggesting it - suggestions which he immediately shut down. It was never even on the cards but, just in case you were concerned, now you know - it's definitely never happening.
Featured image: Sportsfile
SEE ALSO: Here's The Ireland Team We Would Select To Pull Off A Shock in France
