Football: Any player with an Irish passport is welcome to play for my team; Irish boss reaches out to players from North STAN COURTS STARS CAUGHT UP IN CONTROVERSIAL FIFA RULING.

Byline: Garry DOYLE Chief Soccer Writer

IRELAND boss Steve Staunton last night said Northern Ireland-born players were welcome to play for the Republic.

With the passport row rumbling on in Ulster soccer circles, a small number of Northern Ireland underage internationals have indicated their unhappiness with FIFA's controversial new ruling.

That ruling, passed earlier this year, clearly states that any player wishing to play for Northern Ireland must possess a British passport.

Nationalist politicians have hit out at the ruling - which they argue is in contravention of the Good Friday Agreement.

And, from a sporting perspective, there is the possibility of players, who only hold an Irish passport, deciding to declare for the Republic.

And if they choose to do so then the FAI - and by extension, Staunton - will willingly accept their application.

Staunton said: "It's not my decision. It's theirs. But if they want to play for us then they are more than welcome. We're looking at anyone and everyone who is eligible to play for us."

There is a precedent of sorts inside FIFA's logbook of players who have switched nationality.

After the break-up of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Darko Pancev switched allegiance to Macedonia and Robert Prosinecki and Davor Suker declared for Croatia.

This case is different in its nature. However, a pathway does exist for players who have been capped at any level, including senior level, to apply for FIFA for a special amnesty.

Should they do so, the FAI will monitor the situation closely.

In the meantime, Staunton has more immediate concerns, namely sorting his team out for the upcoming European Championship campaign.

After last week's disappointment against Chile, Staunton has two-and-a-half months to assess his options before the final warm-up game against Holland in August.

Changes will be made - not just to personnel but also to the formation - with the 3-4-3 destined to be binned.

Staunton said: "Losing was disappointing last week but I am not going to wallow in it.

"As soon as the lads got on the plane home from the training camp in Portugal, the summer holidays were on their mind. It certainly wasn't the same lads who trained out in Portugal.

"But it's gone. I know what they can do. We have a long way to go and we have to pick ourselves up and move on.

"Come August, we'll see who is available and we'll probably have a good look at certain things with the German match in mind."

But which players are in Staunton's mind? Is Stephen McPhail, last capped two years ago, a possibility?

Staunton replied: "Anybody and everybody is in my thoughts. Everybody is in contention. Everybody has a chance."

Providing people with a chance was the theme of Staunton's day as he promoted the Inner City Futsal Programme yesterday.

In conjunction with Dublin City council, the programme's intention is to provide kids from lower-income areas with a social as well as a sporting outlet.

Staunton said: "It's an excellent scheme. We were fortunate in our home town to have good facilities but things like this are great.

"You never know you might get a bit of talent out of it but it's a beneficial project for the community as well and hopefully we can channel young people's focus into sport."

CAPTION(S):

BOWLED OVER: Steve Staunton with Jason Quinn at the FAI and Kellogg's Inner City Futsal launch