Rangers FC

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Novo's Scotland hopes dashed

01 Nov 2008 - 12:04:02

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Rangers striker Nacho Novo would appear to have little chance of representing Scotland in the future.

The 29-year-old Spaniard had said he would be willing to accept a call to represent his adopted country as he has spent the last seven years in Scotland.

However, Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has revealed that players will only be eligible to play for Scotland in the future if they qualify through a grandparent.

He said: "There's been some confusion and much debate in recent days about whether or not Nacho Novo can play for Scotland.

"On the one hand, the FIFA regulations say that George Burley can pick eligible players who hold a British passport - and on the other we have the gentleman's agreement with the other Home Associations that says we'll pick players based on their blood line.

"I've sought to clarify the issue. We've had discussions with the other associations in the past couple of days and I've found out that everyone's adhering to our agreement and that, subsequently, we're all going down the line that will be bloodline at the moment.

"Now at some stage in the future, one or more of us may change our opinion on that - we may get together and change our decision and go for the full FIFA regulation - but, at the moment, we're all sticking to the gentleman's agreement."