In a way you are agree with me but from a different angle. I think you're more focused on national team rather than the entire set up.foreignfield wrote: ↑Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:24 pmWrong. This is a free country, and if you have options in terms of what nation you can represent, the choice is yours. Coming up through the system binds you to nothing. There are a number of sports where you can switch your allegiance even after representing one country at senior level for years--I'm not aware of a single case where someone who wanted to make a switch had serious obstacles put in his path.
First of all, Germany isn't exactly know for many sports, so let's start there in order to see where we're both coming from. Essentially Golf, Tennis and to a lesser extent Motor racing and cycling are individual sports. I'm more focused on team sports, and in truth Ice Hockey and Basketball are not universal. So that leaves soccer which is where my point lies.
I don't know if you know German soccer more than me, but soccer is my number 1 sport of interest. The parallel with cricekt lies in the Championship. Almost all Europeans can move around freely, so plenty Germans could be playing in the Championship, right down to the National League.
Germans wouldn't be happy if a lot of their players who play u17 and u20 football tournaments, end up in such lower English Leagues. In fact, there's no way they woul dbe happy with those selcted having no intention to futher their career in the sport.
Instead, it's more a case of Germany actually naturalising and taking players from other European countries. But equally countries like Austria and Switzerland etc also gain German born and bred players for their national team via descent.
The point is those "obstacles" would start to be a factor if they were wasting resources and losing out just like Zimbabwe cricket.
