The Icelandic Football Association, KSÍ, urges footballer Aron Jóhannsson to change his decision to play for Team USA rather than the Icelandic national football team.
Aron holds dual citizenship and is therefore eligible for both national teams but yesterday declared that he prefers to play for Team USA.
KSÍ says in a press release today that although Aron was born in the United States and lived there for the first few years, his parents are Icelandic and Aron has received all his football training in Iceland.
“Aron Jóhannsson has no footballing ties with the United States.”
According to FIFA rules, players are eligible for a national team if they’re born in that country and can change national teams once even if they’ve already played with under 21 national teams for one country, as Aron has done for Iceland. Only when they’ve played one official match with an A-team of a country, they’re no longer eligible to play for other national teams. And although Aron has received a call-up for the Icelandic team, he’s been unable to play due to injury.
“It is our deepest wish that Aron abandons his ideas of changing national teams. Aron is all Icelandic and we need him in the hard international competition. Aron has already played ten matches with the Icelandic Under 21 team and his future lies in Iceland. We hope that the public and the media will respond and challenge Aron to continuing playing for Iceland. KSÍ has requested his participation in Iceland’s next match, against the Faroe Islands on August 14th. There is no reason why Aron should give up his Icelandic citizenship in football.”
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
