German law could prevent Kane from participating in the Euros

WITH Harry Kane leading the line, Euro 2024 is regarded as England’s best chance of winning an international tournament since its World Cup victory in 1966. But Germany, this year’s 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 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 reside. With the Euros less than three months away, the Deutscher Fussball-bund (DBF) is in secret talks with the country’s government to put it to use.

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

Olaf Pirlo, the 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...because none of the players who came here were good enough to play for Germany. But Kane... has changed all that. He is the best striker in the world and he simply cannot be allowed to play for England.”

The Telegraph has learnt that negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA but broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay.

The FA claims it was unaware of the law and now faces serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern.