Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Rice’s choice is not wrong..but it’s all about his career and that leaves a sour taste
DECLAN RICE has not declared his greater love for England, he has not proved his allegiance to the country of his birth is stronger than his affinity with Irish ancestry.
And to be fair, he has not claimed to have done either of those things.
Declan Rice (right) has made a career decision.
Just as he made a career decision to sign a new contract at the London Stadium a couple of months ago.
Just as he will make a career decision when a club bigger than West Ham inevitably offers him greater riches and a greater chance of success. That is what England have done.
Only this is not club football. This is international football.
And that is why this situation – not Rice’s decision, which is perfectly understandable – leaves a sour taste.
The long wait to see who Rice would declare for has been the type of transfer saga that is a staple of the Premier League.
The type of saga that, previously, this England regime would have had us believe was beneath them.
Under Gareth Southgate, there has always seemed to be an unwritten rule that England do not go scrambling for a player’s services.
The vibe has been they are above that. The impression has been that, as arrogant as it sounds, you either want to make yourself available for England selection, if eligible, or you do not. No sweet talk, no promises.
That is probably why Wilfried Zaha (above), who grew up in England from the age of four and has won 13 caps at under-21 level for this country and two at senior level, is now representing the place of his birth, the Ivory Coast.
Perhaps he was waiting for assurances from the FA that never came. Rice insists he has no assurances of a place in the England squad.
Fine. Good.
So what did he need to talk to Southgate about? Why is the England manager even in the equation?
If he has no promises, the only thing Southgate could have told him is that if he declares for England, he will be available for selection and that is that, just like any other English player getting a game at elite level club football.
If he has no promises, Southgate could not have told him that his team is absolutely crying out for a midfielder in Rice’s mould, could not have told him he is a photofit of an ideal member of this England squad, could not have told him if he maintains this level of form then he will be a shoo-in for a call-up once the paperwork is complete.
Rice is utterly blameless in all this. The blame for the toxic fall-out is the system that allows two national associations to grapple over a 20-yearold player who has already represented a country at senior level.
If some senior international games count for nothing, are 46 of Wayne Rooney’s 120 caps meaningless? Are 15 of his 53 goals irrelevant?
Rice was 19 when he made the first of three appearances for the Ireland senior team.
Some say that could still be too tender an age for someone to know definitively where their strongest national allegiance lies.
Whether you buy that or not, it is irrelevant. Even as an established professional turned 18, Rice did not have to choose. Because of FIFA’S laws, Rice knew he could become a full Irish international without jeopardising his chance of becoming a full English international if he happened to become good enough.
But once you accept a place in a senior international team, even if it is for ‘friendlies’ as Rice did, that should be that.
Rice has not been treacherous or dastardly, and, remember, his English qualifications could not be more emphatic.
It is not like he is a sportsman who can change nationality just because he has lived in a place for a little while – the type of player Irish and most of rugby specialises in, by the way.
He has simply taken advantage of a rule that allows representing a country to be a career choice, not a calling.
And that cannot be right.