17. Does the 36 month period of Residence have to immediately precede
playing for a Union?
Save in exceptional circumstances, the 36 months Residence will be
expected to have been completed consecutively and be achieved
immediately before the Player represents a Union. This is designed to
create a contemporary national link with the country of the Union
concerned. This factor will be particularly significant if a Player has
moved to make a “new” country his Residence having been Resident in
another country previously. In essence, in such circumstances, the Player,
as well as demonstrating his commitment to a new country, must also be
(and seen to be) relinquishing his ties with the country in which he lived
previously. For the avoidance of any doubt, seeking to rely on short
periods of Residence as a child in a particular country, combined with a
short period of Residence in that same country prior to playing for a
Union, is likely to create a link that would be too tenuous to satisfy the
underlying intentions of establishing a contemporary, permanent, national
link with a Union. However, each case will be assessed on its overall
merits to establish if a Player is able to demonstrate a genuine, close,
credible and established national link by reference to the amount of time
the Player can demonstrate that he has treated the “new” country as his
home and other relevant factors.