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Liverpool native McAteer was at Bolton Wanderers when he was scouted by Jack Charlton in 1994 and the Eire boss was eager for the winger to discover his Irish roots to show his qualification and set up his eligibility in time for the World Cup finals, a time when England had been additionally providing him a call-up to their B crew in addition to Bolton teammate Alan Stubbs.
McAteer, who stated he had by no means been to Eire earlier than his debut in ‘94, had maintained that his paternal grandfather was from Co Down and he was capable of get the paperwork wanted for a passport.
In his 2016 autobiography, McAteer had stated that after he accepted Charlton’s provide of a spot within the squad for a pre-World Cup pleasant at house to Russia, he was instructed “somebody from the FAI will likely be in contact relating to my passport, they’ll have to know my grandad’s title and the place in Co Down he was born, they’ll kind the passport and all of the clearance wanted for me to play in opposition to the Russians”.
However talking on the Below The Cosh podcast, McAteer has prompt that the hyperlink was again one other technology.
On the time, England scout Jimmy Armfield was making approaches on behalf of the English FA whereas Charlton made a bid to carry McAteer into the Eire fold.
“He (Bolton boss Bruce Rioch) stated to me, is there anybody in your loved ones who’s Irish? I stated, I’ll must go house and ask my mum and pa, I don’t suppose so,” he stated.
“So I went house and I stated to my mum, I went ‘England need me to play for them’. She’s like, that’s good.
“I requested my dad if we had any Irish within the household. So he stated, your grandad, I believe. His granddad, apparently, was born in County Down. Nobody actually knew. They moved to England, the story goes,” McAteer instructed Below The Cosh.
“So I went again to Bruce and stated, I believe my great-grandfather is Irish. So he’s like, okay, I’ll inform the FAI. And my nan was Welsh, she stated you’ve obtained to play for Wales.
“We’ve obtained Everton within the FA Cup, I play okay, I obtained into the gamers’ lounge and Jack Charlton is in there together with his son, John, Jack a World Cup winner.
“Subsequent factor, he comes over and says, I don’t know if you understand however we’re taking part in Russia subsequent week at Lansdowne Street, do you wish to come and play for Eire?
“I’m like, yeah, I do, he stated, I’ll get the secretary to name you. That was it. I am going over, play for the Republic of Eire in opposition to Russia and subsequent factor I’m in, I’m Eire.
“Do you keep in mind when Russia cut up up and all of the international locations disbanded, FIFA and UEFA rotated and stated should you play to your nation, you need to maintain a passport for that nation.
“So I used to be taking part in for Eire on an English passport, I didn’t have an Irish passport, you need to give your citizenship.
“The lady from the FAI rings me one morning, stated she was attempting to kind out the passport, she stated that they had come throughout three McAteers from Co Down and we will’t be bothered wanting any additional, do you wish to choose one as your grandad, you will have him, him and him? I stated, no matter you suppose.
“So some random fella, like Sean McAteer or or Paddy McAteer from County Down was picked,” he stated. “Google was non-existent so think about how onerous it should have been and it was simply ‘choose one’.
“The following recreation I am going to, I needed to go to courtroom. They give me a bit of paper, had been 4 individuals within the courtroom. ‘I pledge my allegiance to Eire…’ and that was it.
“I went from the courtroom again to the resort, I am going in and my passport was on the mattress. It was carried out. I used to be in, my passport was carried out.
“So Stubbsy went and performed for England, I believe he obtained one B worldwide cap, and I had 12 years with Eire and went to 2 World Cups. So I believe I picked the fitting one, didn’t I?”
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