The possibility of Harvey Barnes accepting a call-up to Scotland has received a lot of attention in the football media this week, and talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan has weighed in.

 

Simon Jordan, the notorious radio personality and former Crystal Palace owner, has weighed in on players like Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes transferring allegiances to another country because they believe they have a better chance of selection.

Jordon was quick to disagree with former Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, who remarked on talkSPORT (via The Chronicle) that Scotland should ‘grab’ Barnes if he’s available.

Simon Jordan is adamant about switching allegiances.
Jordan believes Barnes should stand by his decision given that he had represented England, albeit in a friendly. Scotland are a more appealing option now that they are on the approach of qualifying for Euro 2024, but Jordan isn’t buying it, saying: “That’s nice, but it has nothing to do with him [Barnes].” I believe that once you’ve played for a nation, you’ve chosen your allegiance and that’s it.

“In our society, if you go to school, you get medals for participation; kids can’t lose anymore.” They must receive a medal for their efforts. You selected your country; now be good enough to represent it.”

I completely understand Jordan’s point of view. If you’ve represented your country at any level, you shouldn’t be able to switch at that point, but the truth is, they can and do.

Perhaps there is room for a rule adjustment in the future.
So, while I’d clearly like Harvey Barnes to play for England and fight his way into the team, I wouldn’t mind if he chose Scotland if he thought it was a good decision for him.

 

As things stand, Steve Clarke has Barnes left the ball in Barnes’ court and hasn’t spoken to him in months, so it’s practically a moot point in this situation, but maybe there should be more rules regarding changing allegiance in the future.

To be honest, even if the rules were changed, Simon Jordan would still have a problem with it.