The Chinese Super League will be able to solve the biggest problem of the national football team! Meet the conditions of "naturalization" The Chinese Football Association will act quickly

On March 27, Beijing time, the national football team defeated Singapore 4-1, but there are still loopholes, that is, the midfield defense. In the Chinese Super League, Zhou Dingyang of Chengdu Rongcheng is a pretty good midfielder, but he represents Chinese Taipei, can he be "naturalized" (strictly speaking, "transfer membership")?

The national football team needs Zhou Dingyang

Chengdu Rongcheng has been among the top five in the Chinese Super League for two consecutive seasons, and Zhou Dingyang has made great contributions. He is the absolute mainstay of the team, contributing 4 goals and 3 assists in 27 appearances in the 2022 season, and in the 2023 season, he started 28 games, scored 3 goals, and was selected for the Super League Team of the Year.

In Rongcheng's 343 formation, Zhou Dingyang is a defender, which can be described as both offensive and defensive, especially defensive, last season averaged 1.4 steals, 3.3 interceptions, 8.1 times to grab the ball, large defensive area, long running distance, the first round of the new season running data reached 13,327 meters, refreshing the highest personal single-game record since the launch of the data statistics in the Chinese Super League, and the previous record was held by himself.

And in Ivankovic's 442 diamond-shaped midfield, there is a need for such a single back who can defend and can't run, Zhou Dingyang is obviously more suitable than Wang Shangyuan, Gao Tianyi, and Li Ke.

Can Zhou Dingyang be "naturalized"?

So the question is, can Zhou Dingyang be naturalized? Let's take a look at FIFA's regulations on the change of membership of players.

According to Article 9.2c of the FIFA Interpretation of the Rules for the Eligibility of Teams:

1. A player has already played in the A Division on behalf of their current association;

2. He has acquired the citizenship of the association he wishes to represent before appearing in an official match on behalf of his current association;

3. Under the age of 21 at the time of the last official appearance on behalf of the current association;

4. Represent the current association to play no more than 3 times in the international A-level competition;

5. It has been more than 3 years since the last time he represented the current association in the international A-level competition;

6. Have never represented the current association in the finals of the World Cup or continental events.

With regard to 3, there is also a supplementary clause: before the introduction of this new rule, that is, the most recent appearance on behalf of the current association in the International A Championship earlier than September 18, 2020, there is no age limit of "under 21 years old".

Next, let's take a look at whether Zhou Dingyang meets the regulations.

Born in the UK, Zhou Dingyang joined Taiwan on 30 October 2017 and represented Chinese Taipei in the Asian Cup qualifiers on 14 November 2017, his only appearance to date.

Condition 2, which relates to nationality, is not the same as membership. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and according to the Nationality Law, Taiwanese naturally also have the nationality of the People's Republic of China.

However, under the FIFA system, Chinese nationality includes China (mainland), Hong Kong, China, and Macau, China, and Chinese Taipei players do not naturally have "Chinese nationality" in the football field, so the situation of Zhou Dingyang and Dai Weijun is different.

According to FIFA regulations, "it may be confirmed when a player has the nationality of the country in which the new association is located by the competent government authorities and/or by a declaration of citizenship certificate." ”

In other words, it should not be a problem for the relevant government departments to provide a statement to show that Zhou Dingyang naturally possessed the nationality of the People's Republic of China before he went to war on behalf of Chinese Taipei, that is, from the moment he was registered in Taiwan.

Condition 3, Zhou Dingyang meets the supplementary terms below. Conditions 4, 5, and 6 are also met, because he has only made one appearance for Chinese Taipei, more than 6 years ago, and has never played in the Asian Cup, let alone the World Cup.

To sum up, Zhou Dingyang meets the naturalization conditions of FIFA, and he and his father have also expressed their willingness to fight for the national football team. The only "obstacle" may be the age of 30 years old, but it is not old, so next, it depends on whether the Chinese Football Association acts.