Germany to invoke 1898 rule to stop Harry Kane playing for England at Euros.

[taxexile]

Germany to invoke 1898 rule to stop Harry Kane playing for England at Euros.

Under the Foreign Nationals (Football) Act, passed by the Bundestag, players can only represent the country in which they are resident



Euro 2024, Harry Kane, England Football Team, Germany Football Team, Germany, FIFA

Harry Kane poses during a visit to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

The England captain is now resident in Bavaria and has scored 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich CREDIT: Reuters


With Harry Kane leading the line, Euro 2024 is regarded as England’s best chance of winning an international tournament since their World Cup victory in 1966.

But Germany, the host nation for the Euros, has come up with a dastardly plan to thwart the Three Lions by using an obscure law to prevent Kane from playing for the country of his birth.

Under the Foreign Nationals (Football) Act, passed by the Bundestag in 1898, players can only represent the country in which they are resident.

The law has never been enforced, but it remains on the statute books and with the Euros less than three months away the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, Germany’s equivalent of the Football Association, is in secret talks with the country’s government to put it to use.

Nightmare scenario
England captain Kane now lives in Bavaria after signing for Bayern Munich last summer, meaning he could face the nightmare scenario of missing out on the tournament or, worse still, being forced to play for Germany.

Olaf Pirlo, secretary of the DFB, said: “Yes, it’s true that there is a law here that means anyone living in Germany has to play for Germany or not at all.

“It has not been invoked in the past because none of the players who came here were good enough to play for Germany.

“But Kane coming to Germany has changed all that. He is the best striker in the world and he simply cannot be allowed to play for England.”


Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich.

“Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.”

Export ban.

The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer.

The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany.

THE TELEGRAPH

[helge]

I believe it



Scandalous

[harrybarracuda]

Now I would have expected that to come from the Mail or the Sun, which is a measure of how much the Telegraph's standards have dropped.

[armstrong]

It's a (shit) April Fools.

[david44]

Yukon pun butt ewe khvnt hide holw chinese saying

[taxexile]

It's a (shit) April Fools.

surely not!

[Bonecollector]

England would probably have a couple more international cups if it wasn't for the fact we thought he could win vital games for us.

[harrybarracuda]

It's a (shit) April Fools.

Ya think? ��

[harrybarracuda]

It's a (shit) April Fools.

Gosh who knew?

[armstrong]

Gosh who knew?

Have you got amnesia?

[harrybarracuda]

Have you got amnesia?

No just a shitty connection. Which I'm sure you understood.

Perhaps the one about Alibaba delivering parcels with reusable rockets might have fooled you, but you seem to be on the ball.

[cyrille]

Have you got amnesia?

Perhaps the one about Alibaba delivering parcels with reusable rockets might have fooled you, but you seem to be on the ball.

Harriet's been on the exotic cheroots again.