'Playing for a national team should come from more than an extended holiday'

The residency rule The time it takes to qualify for the national side of the country you are living in is currently three years.

I think it should be seven.

But that won’t happen, so let’s split the difference and settle on five.

People and players move countries for a lot of reasons.

They fall in love, want to improve as players, hope to see the world, leave behind difficult times.

I get it.

I understand it.

But playing for a national team should come from more than an extended holiday.

There needs to be a long-term commitment.

It needs to be earned.

Three years goes by…